


Leaning Towards the Sun

by shherie



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Difference, Comfort, Crushes, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, POV Sasuke, Post-Loss, Slow Burn, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teen Angst, Uchiha Sasuke-centric, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-16 07:09:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4616046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shherie/pseuds/shherie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of his parents, Sasuke thought that nothing would ever feel bright again. But then he takes a risk and accepts a job at his old kindergarten, and finds himself quickly developing a crush on the warm, sun-shiny Naruto-sensei.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is in response to a request on tumblr for an age-gap fic with an older Naruto; and I instantly wanted to write about a Naruto who was actually more mature and more emotionally developed than Sasuke.
> 
> At the beginning of this fic, Naruto is 32 and Sasuke is 17. This is a pretty controversial age difference, so I just wanted to point out that this fic takes place over several years: nothing's going to happen between these two any time soon. Sasuke does have a crush on Naruto right from the beginning, but it takes Naruto quite a while to become interested in Sasuke in that way.

Sasuke had taken to walking around the neighbourhood after school. Not walking to a specific place, just- _walking_. It was better than going back home to an empty apartment. At first, he didn’t even look around him while he was walking- he just zoned out, and moved. Somehow, the movement created this blank space in his brain where he could just not think about anything. It was…a relief.

But gradually, he started to notice just how familiar his surroundings were. He and Itachi had moved back to where they’d lived when they were younger. Sasuke didn’t think he’d remembered any of it, but every now and then, he’d see a tree, or a street corner, and he’d realise that he knew this place.

And then one day he looked up, and found himself outside of his old kindergarten, and the sense of recognition, of familiarity, was so strong that he froze, and just stood there stunned at the strength of feeling washing over him. … _Naruto-sensei_ , he thought to himself. _Yes, that was his name_ …of course, there’s no way he’d still work here. That had been more than 10 years ago.

It was strange; Sasuke didn’t have many memories of his first years of school, but he remembered this kindergarten, and Naruto-sensei. The memories stood out in his mind like sparkling-bright stars in a sea of dark sky.

It was about 4 p.m., and there were still children playing outside of the kindergarten. Sasuke didn’t want to seem like a creep, but he wanted to see inside through the fence. Just for a moment, to see how things had changed. …but, what if someone saw him? A lone teenage boy, hanging outside a childcare centre? No, he should go…

“Ah, Yuki-chan, don’t cry!” came a voice, and Sasuke froze again, and turned back around. _No_ , he thought, _it can’t be_! “There, there, let me see…”

Sasuke’s body moved of its own accord, and before he knew it he was right up against the fence, gripping the railings hard, his eyes wide. He couldn’t believe it! It was Naruto-sensei, standing there surrounded by tiny children, with a sobbing little girl in his arms. _His smile_ , thought Sasuke, _oh, it’s_ _exactly the same! He hasn’t changed at all!_

Sasuke felt his pulse start to race. He’d spent two years at this centre, and his little chibi-self had been _obsessed_ with Naruto-sensei. What child wouldn’t be? He was so…he was so _happy_ , all the time, and he always wanted to play, wanted to read to you, or tell you jokes, or look at your drawings. And for Sasuke, that kind of attention…

 _I should leave_ , he told himself sternly. _It’s not like he’d remember me_ -

“Sasuke-chan?” came the voice again, as he turned away. “Is it you?”

Sasuke turned back around, and found Naruto-sensei and half a dozen tiny human beings staring at him through the fence.

The blonde’s smile became even brighter. “It _is_ you, isn’t it?! I’d know your face anywhere!”

Sasuke felt his cheeks start to redden and he struggled to control himself. _Keep it together, you loser!_

“Uh, hi,” he said, stepping back to the fence. “… hi, Naruto-sensei,” he went on, and saying his name out loud somehow tugged at something deep inside him. His efforts to control the heat in his cheeks failed; he was properly blushing now.

“Who is it, sensei?” asked the little girl in the blonde’s arms.

“Ah! This is Sasuke-chan, he’s a very important person!” Naruto-sensei explained to the children, who all accepted his word and nodded. “Oh, well, I suppose it’s Sasuke- _kun_ now, isn’t it! I thought you moved away?” he said, directing his attention back to Sasuke.

“We…we moved back,” Sasuke said, trying to keep his tone light. “Me and my brother.”

“Itachi-chan!” Naruto said with a happy sigh. “Oh…that brings back memories!”

 _Yeah, well, it brings back memories for me, too,_ Sasuke thought, his blush fading. He’d been so jealous, whenever Itachi tagged along to pick Sasuke up from kindergarten, and his beloved sensei would be so overjoyed to see him…wasn’t it enough that everyone fawned over Itachi at home? His own _parents_ …

… _no, stop it_ , he said to himself. _Don’t go there._

“I have to go,” he said to the teacher and children. “Bye.” He turned abruptly and rushed down the street, and didn’t look back. Stopping here had been a mistake; if he was going to keep walking around, he would need to find somewhere without memories.

***

And yet for some reason, he found himself in the exact same place the very next day, and the next, and the next, until somehow…

“It’s a good thing you came along when you did, Sasuke-chan,” Naruto-sensei said to him, “we’ve been so overworked! A part-timer is just what we needed…”

He held out his hands, and Sasuke handed him another sheet. Naruto turned to throw the sheet over the clothing line, stretching up on his toes to spread it out. He hadn’t even gotten taller; Sasuke was only a little bit shorter than him now.

Sasuke blushed, and realised he was staring again. He couldn’t help it; when Naruto-sensei reached his arms up like that, his shirt rode up, and Sasuke could see-

 _No, no, stop it!_ he told himself.

“I’m sorry if I’m not much help,” he said instead. “I don’t even know how to use the washing machine…”

“You’ll learn!” Naruto said to him. “I’m sure of it. You’ve already been a big help, Sasuke-chan. And the kids are so interested in you!”

Well, yes, they _did_ seem to be curious. Sasuke was trying to not be his usual self around them. He didn’t want to scare them, after all, with his usual frowns and glares. If he wanted to keep this after-school job, he needed to fit in.

“I suppose I should stop calling you that,” the blonde said, reaching out for the last sheet. “I can’t help it, though. You’re still just as cute and sweet as you were back then!”

Sasuke turned his head away, letting his hair fall over his face so that his red cheeks were hidden. Why couldn’t he stop that?! “It’s okay, sensei,” he murmured. “You can call me whatever you want.”

“Well, you can drop the sensei! Just Naruto is fine, okay?” Naruto-sensei…no, _Naruto_ said to him.

“Re-really?” Sasuke stammered. “Um, that seems a bit- well, okay, I’ll try,” he said.

Naruto nodded, and took the basket from him. “Come on, then. If you don’t mind, we have some paperwork we really need sorted in the office. And you can get away from all this noise for a while!”

Sasuke blinked. Was it so obvious, how all the children and toys and chaos were getting to him? He’d always been so good at hiding his feelings. What was it about this guy…?

“Okay,” he said. “And, um…you can just call me Sasuke.”

***

He shouldn’t be doing this to himself. After all, that first day when he’d stopped outside the kindergarten and seen him…he’d had the worst nightmares that night, the worst he’d had in ages. And he couldn’t even bring himself to go to school the next day, he’d just took a sleeping pill and slept the day away.

And yet when he’d woken in the afternoon, he’d gotten dressed and put some shoes on, and walked down the street, and before he even knew what he was doing…

Well, that had been two weeks ago. And now here he was every day after school, at the very place that had set off such strong feelings in him.

“I don’t know why I keep doing this to myself,” Naruto-sensei groaned, “every year it’s the same thing!”

They were sitting at a table together in the office, and the blonde had switched his usual radiant smile for a confused, puzzled frown, as he sorted through piles of receipts and invoices with a helpless expression on his face.

“I already sorted through these ones, Naruto-sen- ah, Naruto,” Sasuke said, pointing to a neatly-organised pile of expense-claim forms. “They’re ready to go.”

“Oh, it’s hopeless!” Naruto said. “We’re just a tiny little kindergarten, why is there so much paperwork!”

Naruto wasn’t the only teacher at the centre, and he spent so much of his time with the children, reading to them, wiping their snotty noses, putting band-aids on their scuffed knees, that Sasuke had been legitimately surprised to learn that he actually _owned_ this place. He was the _boss_. But looking at him sitting there, shaking his head and sulking over this ‘stupid tax stuff’, Sasuke thought that no-one had ever looked less like a boss than Naruto-sensei.

“Why did you buy this place?” he blurted out, before he could stop himself. “I- I mean, it seems like a lot of work…?”

Naruto grinned at that, looking sheepish. “Mm, well, you know…they were gonna close it, and…well, here we are!”

Yes, here they were. And it the centre _had_ been sold, then maybe Naruto-sensei wouldn’t have been here for Sasuke to find, when he wondered past one day…so, even though this guy was hopeless when it came to numbers and money, maybe it was just as well.

“It’s not so difficult,” Sasuke said, trying to make his voice sound comforting. It wasn’t easy- people at school called him a robot. “See? I’m sorting the receipts into categories, and then I’ll add up the tax, okay?”

“It’s impossible,” Naruto moaned. “The other teachers say I’m meant to be able to claim all this stuff, and then we won’t pay so much tax…we really need that…”

“I’ll figure it out,” Sasuke found himself saying, even though he didn’t know the first thing about what kinds of expenses a childcare centre could claim. “And then I’m sure we can get this done by the deadline, okay?”

“Sasuke…!” Naruto said to him, smiling again, his eyes shining. “I always knew you’d turn out to be some kind of genius with this stuff! You were the first one to count to one hundred…”

Sasuke blushed and hid his face again. He wished Naruto would stop saying things like that. He wasn’t stupid; he knew how much of an age-gap there was between them. But to be constantly reminded that Naruto had known him so well as a child… He sighed. Naruto had probably put band-aids on _his_ scuffed knees, too, and wiped his snooty nose.

Really, Sasuke was no different than any of the other kids here, in Naruto’s eyes. So Sasuke should just shut this down right now, whatever these feelings were, swirling around in his stomach and pounding in his chest. It couldn’t lead anywhere good.

***

Sasuke spent the rest of the night and all the next day at school researching the tax rules and regulations for small businesses, in the childcare category. He even asked his math teacher about it, and she’d been very surprised to hear Sasuke say anything. Yeah, well, whatever. He didn’t care what people at school thought about him.

He downloaded some tax software to his laptop and took it to the centre with him, and then after he’d done his usual chores (the laundry, cleaning the dishes from lunch, re-stocking the soap and toilet paper in the bathrooms) and read a few dozen stories to the pathetically whining bunch of chibis, he shut himself up in the office and started tackling the massive piles of paperwork.

Sasuke was determined to get the best possible tax return for Naruto. The other teachers had told him about it; the centre wasn’t doing so well, financially, even though the kids and families loved it here. They might have to shut down, if things didn’t improve.

Well, Sasuke wasn’t going to let that happen! Naruto was fifteen years older than him, and Sasuke was just a high-school student. Without this part-time job, what other excuse would he have, for spending time with him?

“Sasuke, you’re amazing!” Naruto said to him with those shining eyes of his, when Sasuke gave him a progress report that evening. “How do you know how to do all this stuff?!”

Sasuke shrugged. “I guess I like it,” he lied. “Math, and tax and things. I was thinking of studying to be an accountant, after high school…” A complete lie. Sasuke wasn’t thinking about doing _anything_ after high school. Sleeping some more, maybe.

“Oh, I bet you’d be great at it!” Naruto gushed. “You just seem to _get_ it. I can’t believe how much you’ve done in just a few days!”

Sasuke tried to supress the giddy feelings that Naruto’s words brought out. After all, if he’d told this idiot blond that he wanted to be a dolphin trainer, he’d probably get the same response. Naruto was just that kind of person, and he was this way with _everyone_. Sasuke was nothing special to him.

“It wasn’t so hard,” he mumbled, reaching out for another stack of receipts. He’d have this done in no time; and then he was going to look into government grants and other ways to bring more money into the centre.

Naruto yawned, and leaned back on his chair. “Man, those kids really tire me out sometimes! I need some coffee…oh! Look at the time!”

Sasuke glanced over to him, and bit back a smile at seeing the panicked look on his face. “How can you not know what the time is?” he teased.

“No wonder I’m so hungry…” Naruto pouted. “And shouldn’t you be getting home soon? It’s past dinner time…”

Sasuke tensed. “Uh, it’s okay,” he said. “I was just going to pick something up on the way home.” Itachi was working late that night, so it would just be him. He’d rather stay here, where it was bright and warm.

Naruto stared at him, suddenly not pouting, or frowning, or smiling; he just had a blank expression on his face. “You don’t need to go home? It’s past 7…”

Sasuke shook his head. _Please, let’s not talk about this_ , he thought. “It’s alright…”

“Is everything okay, Sasuke?” Naruto went on, oblivious to Sasuke’s silence plea. “Are things okay, at home?”

Sasuke frowned, and looked down at the table. “Um…” he said. “Well, I…I probably should have told you, but actually, it’s just me and Itachi. Um…my parents…”

… _shit_ , he thought, feeling his eyes start to prick. _Don’t you dare cry in front of Naruto_! It’s not like it was a big deal, people died all the time, and he’d never even seen his parents all that much anyway, they were always travelling for work.

Naruto sighed, softly. “Yes, I know,” he said. “I heard about that. I’m sorry, Sasuke…”

Sasuke whipped around and stared over at him, eyes wide. “You _knew_?” he exclaimed. “How?!”

Naruto flushed red, and ran a hand through his scruffy hair. “Uh, well, truthfully…it was on the news, the crash, and I recognized the names, so… I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to bring it up…”

Sasuke was floored. Naruto had _known_ , this whole time? “But,” he said, confused. “You don’t…you didn’t act like you knew!” Everyone treated him differently, once they knew, and they almost always knew. A lot of people had died on that plane, but his parents were pretty well-known, and Sasuke couldn’t escape his last name, even when they’d moved towns.

“Sasuke,” Naruto began, his voice soft and gentle. “I know what it’s like, when people act like you’re…different. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Well, that did it. Sasuke was _mortified_ , but he felt his eyes welling up, and the tears start to pool and run down his cheeks. He pushed his chair back and it scrapped loudly on the linoleum, the sound echoing harshly through the silent room.

Sasuke stood and made to leave the room. Naruto couldn’t see him like this, he just _couldn’t_ , he had to leave-

“Sasuke, wait, I’m sorry!” Naruto called out, pushing up from the table as well and following after him. “I didn’t mean to upset you!

“It’s okay,” he said back, reaching the door. “I-”

“No, please!” Naruto said, grabbing his hand and stopping him from leaving. “You’re upset, you can’t leave like this!”

“I’m fine,” Sasuke said, trying desperately to stop crying, this was so _embarrassing_ , and Naruto-sensei was actually _touching_ him-

“You’re not fine,” Naruto said, and to Sasuke’s great shock, the blonde pulled him closer, and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Sasuke, I shouldn’t have said anything…”

Sasuke froze as he was enveloped in warmth; he didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know what to _do_ \- so he just stood there stiffly, with Naruto holding him, and with tears running down his cheeks. He couldn’t stop them now.

“There, good, it’s okay,” Naruto said to him, his voice warm and comforting, and Sasuke closed his eyes and let it wash over him. “It’s okay to be sad about it, Sasuke, I promise.”

Sasuke made a little noise, and suddenly he found himself hugging him back, wrapping his own arms around Naruto’s shoulders and gripping him tight, holding on to him as the tears kept flowing. “I’m not,” he got out, horrified at just how tremble-y his own voice was. “I’m fine…”

“Mm, I’m sure you’re doing just fine, aren’t you? But every now and then, you need to let yourself feel.” Naruto was rubbing soothing circles into his back, and gradually, Sasuke felt himself start to relax, letting out a breath and leaning further into him.

So Sasuke cried, resting his head on Naruto’s chest, with the blonde murmuring comforting words into his ear and holding him closer. He cried, thinking about how lonely he’d been, about how useless he’d been with Itachi, who was _broken_ by their parent’s death, but Sasuke couldn’t do anything for either of them. Everything just seemed so dark and bleak, and he didn’t know how to make it better.

***

Sasuke avoided the centre for the next few days- he was just so embarrassed. He couldn’t _believe_ he’d let himself cry in front of someone, especially someone he…well. Anyway. As it turned out, without anywhere to go after school, things were even worse; and besides, there was still so much that needed to be done.

So he went back, letting himself in through the front gate, and instantly he found himself surrounded by screaming children.

“Sasuke-sensei, Sasuke-sensei!” they all cried, dancing around and jumping up and down. “You’re back!!”

He was bewildered, and a little freaked out with them all around him, tugging at his clothes and hands, demanding that he read, that he come and play dress-ups, that he sing- honestly, who did these kids think he was?!

“Ah, Sasuke-kun!” said Shizune, one of the other teachers, peering around the corner to see what all the commotion was about. “Thank goodness! There’s so much washing to be done- are you feeling better? Naruto said you were sick!”

“Do you need a tissue, Sasuke-sensei?” one of the kids said, pulling something gross-looking out of her pocket.

“Hey, guys!” came Naruto’s voice, as he rushed out to rescue Sasuke from the horde. “Let’s give Sasuke-sensei some room!” He chased them all away and herded Sasuke inside. “Sorry, they just all really missed you!”

“Why?” he asked, confused, as he followed Naruto into the office. “They don’t even see me that much…”

“Ah well,” Naruto said to that, grinning at him. “You’ve been here for almost three weeks now, and they like having someone younger than their teachers around! Like a big brother.”

“…oh,” Sasuke said, not sure how he felt about that. “Um, I’m really sorry I…”

“No no, it’s okay,” Naruto said, waving his hands. “You weren’t feeling well! Ah, but, if you’re feeling up to it, I could really use your help…” He turned, and pointed at an overflowing pile of paper stacked on the table.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, how did this guy manage to run a business like this?? “I’ll get right on it,” he said.

“Oh, and I told everyone you had a cold so… Ayame left you some soup, and the parents have been bringing you oranges.”

Sasuke blinked. “Really?” he said. “But-”

“They _like_ you, Sasuke, and we all appreciate your help!” Naruto interrupted, beaming at him. “You wouldn’t believe how happy the staff have been to be getting their pay on time!”

Sasuke _did_ roll his eyes that time. It was lucky this was a _childcare_ business, and that Naruto was so good with kids. They all adored him, and so did the families; everyone wanted to be here. So maybe even if he _was_ lousy with money and tax, it was okay. …maybe Sasuke really _could_ be useful here.

He sat down and pulled the stack of papers towards him. “Okay, leave this with me,” he said to a jubilant Naruto. “I’ll have it done in no time.”

“Thank you, Sasuke!” Naruto said to him, his eyes shining, and his expression so bright and happy that Sasuke melted on the inside, feeling all warm and content for the first time in days.

Yes, this was good; he didn’t know what it was that had brought him back to this place, but maybe it was just where he needed to be.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first time in almost two years, there was some kind of structure, a kind of rhythm, to Sasuke’s life. He’d drag himself out of bed on time now to eat breakfast with his brother, and he was hardly ever late for school these days. Most afternoons he spent at the centre until late in the evening, and then he’d go home, eat dinner, and fall into bed, having been so worn out by those children and the never-ending paperwork that he sleep through the whole night.

Weekends were for homework and studying. Naruto just assumed that Sasuke was getting perfect grades- of course he would be, Sasuke-chan had always been so _smart_. But truthfully, Sasuke was barely passing. He just hadn’t cared about school before. And Itachi was _thrilled_ when his grades started to improve- though, when his brother started talking about plans for next year, university maybe, Sasuke was quick to shut him down. He didn’t want to think about that, not yet.

Until now Sasuke’s world had been dark and cold, and he’d been drifting, listlessly, almost frozen. It had been that way ever since he’d gotten the news that would change his life. It had been almost two years of just letting himself float, and if that meant not feeling much of anything, well, it was better than sinking.

So no, he didn’t want to think about plans for next year, he didn’t want to talk about his future. It was enough that life was a little bit brighter now, a bit warmer. He just wanted to get through each day, looking forward to when he could step through the doors of the centre and hear Naruto’s voice greeting him happily, and see that vibrant, sunny smile.

***

Itachi had a boyfriend. And, apparently, he’d had one for a while; several _months_ , in fact. Sasuke had no idea, until his brother had come clean about it all.

He was _angry_. He slammed his wash-cloth onto the surface of the lunch table and scrubbed hard, far more vigorously than was actually required, pushing the cloth back and forth until he felt his arms start to burn, all while clenching his teeth tightly together. How dare he, how _dare_ his brother keep a secret like this for _months_ , and how had Sasuke not noticed! Itachi must have been sneaking around like some rebellious teenager afraid of getting grounded-

He slammed the cloth into the table again and growled, glaring down at his hands.

It wasn’t that Sasuke didn’t want Itachi to date; obviously, he wanted his brother to be happy, of course…and this guy seemed nice enough, if a little odd. He seemed really into fish. But as soon as this boyfriend had left their apartment, Sasuke had _exploded_.

“Ohh,” came a voice, “Sasuke-sensei’s angry…”

Sasuke bit his lip and forced himself to sit back on his heels and take a deep breath. _Don’t throw a tantrum in front of the chibis, you loser_ , he told himself. “I’m not angry,” he said, turning around and seeing two kids and Naruto watching him.

“I think he’s just a bit grumpy today, guys,” Naruto said to the kids clinging to his legs. _Midori and Kota_ , Sasuke thought. … _since when have I known all their names??_ “It happens to all of us. I wonder what’s wrong?”

“Maybe he fell out of a tree,” Midori suggested.

“He had to eat pumpkin,” Kota added.

“Or broccoli,” Naruto continued, wrinkling his nose.

Sasuke sighed. “I had a fight with my brother,” he said, quickly, before this trio could come up with anything else.

“Ohh,” the trio murmured, nodding.

“I fight with my brother all the time,” said Kota. “He always wins, though.”

“My brother’s _so_ annoying. All he does is cry, and he _stinks_ ,” said Midori, glaring in the general direction of where the younger toddlers were taking a nap.

“Well!” said Naruto, sweeping past Sasuke to a nearby stack of cushions. “I think this calls for serious measures. Midori-chan, can you go find the book about Chie and Mina’s fight over the cupcake?”

“Okay!” Midori said back with a giggle, running off with Kota behind her.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. _…a cupcake_? “It’s fine,” he said, “I don’t need a thinly-disguised moral lesson about getting along with your siblings.”

“Come on, it’ll make you feel better!” Naruto said back with a grin, patting the cushions next to him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but dumped the cloth on the table and went over to join him. It was only then that he noticed Naruto had one of the babies strapped to his chest. Sasuke peered over at the grumbling, wriggling bundle. “What’s _his_ problem?” he asked.

“He’s teething,” Naruto explained, patting the baby’s back. “So he’s pretty unhappy with the world right now!” He fished a pacifier out of his pocket and offered it to the whining infant.

“Fair enough,” Sasuke said, settling into the cushions and leaning back with a frown.

“And what are _you_ so unhappy about?” Naruto asked, giving him a searching look. “What did you fight about?”

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn’t really want to talk about it- but, this was Naruto. He’d just keep asking until Sasuke gave up and told him. “He’s been… dating. For a while. Apparently, it’s serious.”

Naruto grinned. “Yes, that must be _horrible_ for you!”

“But he didn’t tell me!” Sasuke growled, crossing his arms across his chest. “He was keeping it a secret!” And it made Sasuke _furious_.

“How come?” Naruto asked, alternately gazing at him and the whining baby on his chest.

“Because,” Sasuke began, “because he…” …he hadn’t wanted to _upset_ Sasuke. That’s what he’d said. He hadn’t wanted Sasuke to feel _threatened_.

“Naruto-sensei, I found it!” announced Midori, running up to them and jumping on the cushions.

“No, I found it!” declared Kota, “it was me, she’s lying!”

“Ah, that’s some good teamwork guys. Now, who’s going to hold the book for me? Make sure Sasuke-sensei can see the pictures!”

The kids settled down in front of Naruto and Sasuke, with Midori enthusiastically opening the book for Naruto to read. Sasuke sighed and resigned himself to the inevitable story-time. Well, Naruto’s voice _was_ very soothing, maybe it _would_ make him feel better.

Itachi’s words last night had shut Sasuke up right away, but it hadn’t made him feel any less angry. So, Itachi thought he would fall apart if there was someone else in his brother’s life; that Sasuke wasn’t the sole centre of his universe anymore. Is that really what his brother thought of him?

***

Sasuke was feeling pleased with himself. He hadn’t wanted to get out of bed today, and he certainly hadn’t wanted to go to school, but he did both, just to prove a point. Today was no different than any other day, and Sasuke was feeling just fine.

He got through the school day without any problems, and now he was getting his usual work done at the centre, tidying and cleaning up, chatting with the kids about what Ayame-sensei had made them for lunch today, comparing it to his own midday meal. Yes, things were going well…until out of nowhere, one of the chibis ran up to him and latched onto his legs.

He looked down and frowned. “Uh…Mari-chan?” he said, quickly bringing the girl’s name up in his head. “What are you doing? Are you okay?” She wasn’t normally one of the clingy ones.

“You looked sad, Sasuke-sensei!” the little girl cried, staring up at him, maintaining her vice-like grip on his legs. “So I’m giving you a hug!”

Sasuke was confused. He wasn’t looking sad, was he, surely? Wasn’t his expression the same as it always was? It’s not like he ever went around being ridiculously bright and bubbly, like a certain someone. And yet…

“Oh!” said another little girl, coming up to them. “Mama said to be nice to Sasuke-sensei today. I’m gonna hug him too!”

Sasuke froze as he was suddenly made the centre of an impromptu group hug. _Don’t freak out_ , he told himself, _just let them do what they want, they’ll stop_. He tried to smile, to show these tiny humans he was fine, he wasn’t feeling “sad”; but somehow, he couldn’t quite manage it.

“Hey guys, give Sasuke-sensei some space!” said Naruto, coming up to them with a laugh, snatching the girls away. “Don’t you know he has important work to do today?”

“But senseiiiii,” the gang of girls protested, latching onto him instead. He picked one of them up and spun her around to a chorus of delighted squeals.

Sasuke let out a sigh. Good, he’d been forgotten. Maybe he should just sneak off somewhere, take a few moments to pull himself together.

“Oh, Sasuke!” said Naruto, looking over him, giving him a little smile. “There’s some stuff in the office I could use your help with, if you have a moment? I’ll be right in!”

 _He knows_ , Sasuke thought. _…damn_. Even after- how many months had he been working here? Even after this long, he _still_ hadn’t gotten any better at hiding his feelings around this guy.

Sasuke felt his eyes pricking and he quickly nodded and looked down, and made his way out of the playroom and into the office. He shut the door and slumped onto the couch.

If only his parents had died in a quiet, anonymous way. But no, they had to go out with a bang; it had been all over the news, their deaths and the dozens of others who’d died on that plane. The two-year anniversary had almost certainly been on the news today- Sasuke hadn’t watched. He didn’t want to see. He _hated_ that everyone knew.

Sasuke stared down at his hands, trying to take deep, calming breaths, but it wasn’t working; instead, he was almost panting, his breathing short and shallow. And as he stared down at his hands, gradually his vision blurred with the tears that he couldn’t hold back any longer.

 _Calm down, it’s fine_ , he told himself, trying to relax his shoulders, trying to resist the way his body was tensing up, to unclench his fists. But then he saw the door open and a flash of blonde coming at him, and that was it. He heard a small, panicked noise escape his throat and then he was crying, hard, curled over as sudden jolts of pain wracked through his body with the violence of his tears.

He felt Naruto wrap his arms around him, pull him closer, but still Sasuke felt his muscles tense as he cried against his shoulder. He was soon gasping for air, desperately trying to stop the tears, stop these frantic, keening noises he was making, stop the stabbing pain running through his arms and legs. In his sudden outpouring of grief the pain was like a physical ache taking over him, and he blindly reached out for help, never more grateful the existence and warmth of the man holding onto him so tightly.

Naruto was patting his back and speaking soft, calming words into his ear, and rocking him back and forth on the couch. “It’s okay, Sasuke, I’m here,” he said, in a low and quiet voice, and Sasuke could feel his breath against his skin. “Let me help. You’ll be okay…”

Sasuke didn’t know how much time had passed, but gradually he felt his shoulders and arms start to unclench and his breathing start to calm, and he learnt heavily against Naruto’s shoulder, burying his head in the crook of his neck, gripping the front of his shirt tightly. “I’m sorry,” he gasped out, “I’m so sorry, I-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Naruto interrupted, rubbing soothing circles into his back. “Take your time. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t _fine_. This hadn’t happened last year. Something like this wouldn’t have happened to him while he was frozen. But now it was like he was thawing out, and it hurt, it hurt a _lot_ , with more and more stabs of pain rushing into him as he let go and his walls started to come down. It wasn’t okay. If he could take it back, if he’d known what it was going to feel like…he would have stayed far away from this place.

But he couldn’t take it back, so he just clung onto Naruto, felt the warmth of his skin against his own, listened to his words and the soothing sound of his voice, and eventually his tears dried up. His head ached and his eyes stung, and he groaned. He let Naruto help him lie down on the couch, gratefully accepted the tissues, the glass of water and painkillers.

“Why don’t you try to rest a little,” Naruto suggested, sitting back down on the ground next to the couch. “You don’t need to do any more work today.”

Sasuke nodded, and gripped Naruto’s hand tighter, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing. _…oh, thank god_ , he thought, as he felt a calming darkness coming over him and he fell asleep.

***

In the weeks that followed, Sasuke did his best to get things back to normal. He bustled around the centre getting his work done, he played with the kids, he even smiled at them and didn’t complain as much when they begged him to play dress-ups with them. And Naruto smiled back at him, and didn’t mention Sasuke’s little break-down in the office that day.

Sasuke was grateful. He just wanted to get on with it.

A year ago, he would never have imagined that he’d be spending almost every afternoon in a place like this- _him_ , Sasuke Uchiha, working in a childcare centre?! It was crazy. He’d even done a short online course so that he was actually qualified as a childcare assistant. Yes, it was insane. He’d never liked kids, and he was pretty sure he didn’t like them all that much _now_.

…but, there was no doubt that he’d found somewhere he could be- helpful. That was certainly something.

“You’re useless,” he said to Naruto, as he went through the month’s expenses again. “I told you to find a new supplier for all these things!” They were spending way too much money on toilet paper and cleaning products- on everything, really.

“I know, I know!” Naruto whined back, looking pathetic. “But how am I supposed to do that?! _You’re_ the one who’s good at these things…”

Sasuke sighed. The only part of the centre that wasn’t over budget was the food, and that was because Ayame got everything through her father’s restaurant suppliers. Sasuke would need to find a solution, fast. Naruto had given him access to all the centre’s files, and it was clear that there was still a lot of room for improvement.

“And also, I told you weeks ago that you should raise your fees-”

“But Sasuke!” Naruto interrupted, sulking. “I can’t ask parents for more money!”

“They won’t be paying more,” Sasuke said back. “If you raise the price enough, they’ll be eligible for that new government rebate, and then they’ll be paying the same as now, so-”

“ _Really_?” Naruto exclaimed, looking over at him in shock, mouth hanging open. “How on earth do you know about all this stuff, Sasuke? You’re a wonder!”

Sasuke frowned at him, and let out an exasperated sigh. Honestly, this guy… “If you just kept up with the news, you’d know all this for yourself,” he said. “And-”

“That’s exactly what I keep saying!” came a voice, and they both turned to see a woman charging into the office. She walked over to Naruto and scowled at him. “Useless man!”

Naruto’s pout intensified. “ _Hey_ ,” he protested. “I’m a very busy person! And don’t you encourage him!” he said to the woman.

Sasuke had never seen her before. She had long red hair and was wearing glasses, and was glaring daggers at Naruto. “You left this paperwork at my place last night,” she said, dumping a stack of parental permission forms in front of him. “These aren’t even meant to leave the centre, am I right?” she went on, raising an eyebrow at him.

Naruto flushed red. “Uh, um…oops. Thanks,” he said, pushing them to the side. “You didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

“Well, I’m leaving now. You must be Sasuke-chan,” she said, turning to face him. “The one who’s been doing all his work for him.

Sasuke blinked. Naruto had been telling people about him? “…hi,” he said to the woman, cautiously. “Nice to meet you.”

She nodded, and then turned and made her way out the door. “I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow,” she shot at Naruto before she left the room.

Once she was gone Naruto groaned and put his head in his hands. “Damn. These really _aren’t_ meant to leave the centre. But I needed to finish them…” he sighed, and frowned.

Sasuke stared at him. “Is she your girlfriend?” he found himself saying, before he could stop himself.

Naruto looked up and blinked, looking confused. “My…oh! No, no, god no!” he said, laughing. “That’s Karin, she’s my cousin!” And he went on laughing, looking beyond amused.

Sasuke glared at him. It wasn’t _that_ funny. It was a fair assumption to make. “Your cousin?” he asked.

Naruto grinned. “Yeah, well, actually we grew up together, ever since my parents died. So I guess she’s like my sister!”

Sasuke’s glare faded and he frowned. … _oh_ , he thought. _Naruto’s parents died too?_

Naruto stopped laughing and smiled at him. “Don’t look so sad, Sasuke! I don’t even remember them, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it!”

It was fine? Well…if he said so.

He nodded. “So, she’d not your girlfriend?” he asked again.

“God, no,” Naruto said back, wrinkling his nose. Then he paused, before continuing. “Actually, I’m…”

Sasuke tensed and looked down at the table. _I’m- I’m what?_ What was he? Sasuke’s pulse started to race.

“…never mind,” Naruto said, after a moment. “But no, she’s not. Anyway, let’s get back to this rebate thing? How does it work?”

Sasuke stared up at him, cursing internally. What had he been about to say?!

***

Sasuke studied hard, and before he knew it, he was graduating high school with grades good enough to get him into the local university, into pretty much any course he wanted. He chose Business. No-one was more surprised at this choice than him.

He spent most of his holidays at the centre with Naruto and the chibis, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Naruto and the teachers were delighted that he was planning to continue working here while he studied. The days passed peacefully, and Sasuke found himself smiling even more now, even laughing and joking with the kids and teachers.

After his first day at university he arrived at the centre to find a large _Congratulations, Sasuke-sensei!_ banner hanging over the front door and a plate of cupcakes waiting for him and the children to eat. He was embarrassed by all the attention, but accepted it as best he could, that and all the teasing about how old he was getting, about how he was a real adult now.

“So!” Naruto said, once all the children and staff had left for the day. “Was it _amazing_? It was, wasn’t it?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at this over-abundance of enthusiasm, and continued his filing. He wanted to get this done before he went home. “It was pretty much the same as high school,” he said. “It’ll just be even _more_ studying. I’m not sure why I’m even doing it.”

“Oh, but I’ll bet you’ll make lots of new friends!” Naruto went on. “How about it? Did you meet any cute guys?”

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. “No, I-” …wait. Cute _guys_?? What was he asking?!

He whipped around, eyes wide, and found Naruto grinning at him like the Cheshire cat. _Oh my god, he did not just say that!_ Had Sasuke just admitted that he liked guys?!

“No, wait!” Sasuke stammered, eyes still wide, feeling himself start to panic. “I- I didn’t…!”

Naruto laughed at him, looking delighted and very pleased with himself. “Oh, calm down, Sasuke!” he said, with that ridiculous smile of his. “I’ve always known you were gay!”

“ _What_?” Sasuke shrieked, dropping the files he was holding. “ _How_?!” It’s not like they’d _ever_ spoken about this- about anything like this!

“Come on, don’t you remember?” Naruto said, still laughing. “When you were five. You told me that girls were gross, you were only going to kiss boys, and that one day you were going to marry _me_ -”

Sasuke shrieked again and blushed bright red, falling onto the couch and hiding his face in his hands. “Oh my _god_ ,” he exclaimed, “can you _not_ remember things like that, please? What is _wrong_ with you?!”

“There there, Sasuke, there’s no need to be embarrassed!” Naruto said, coming over to him and giving him a comforting pat on that back. “And how could I forget my first ever proposal? Nope, I’ll never forget things like that, sorry-”

“It’s _embarrassing_!” Sasuke declared, glaring at him. “I’m not _cute little Sasuke-chan_ anymore you know!”

Naruto grinned and sat down next to him on the couch. “Oh, poor Sasuke! Yes, yes, I know, I’m just teasing!”

“ _Are_ you?” Sasuke cried. “Are you _sure_?” He stared over at Naruto, still feeling mortified. Would Naruto ever see him as more than just a child?

Naruto’s grin faded, and was replaced with a warm, calm smile. He nodded. “Yes, Sasuke. I promise. I can’t help that I knew you when you were young. But I know you’re a different person now.”

Sasuke stared back at him. If Naruto could refrain from laughing at him again, for even five minutes, he might believe it.

He knew he wasn’t being fair. Of _course_ Naruto would have all these memories of him. And if he hadn’t, then Sasuke wouldn’t even be working here, there wouldn’t even be this connection between them. But it couldn’t go on like this. Sasuke had always had this silly little crush on this guy- and that was still there, a kind of giddiness, a magnetism drawing him in like a moth to bright light, seeking out the warmth that Naruto processed in spades.

But it was more than that now, and it was getting harder and harder for Sasuke to deny.

***

Sasuke took a rare day off from studying and work on his eighteenth birthday, spending the day with Itachi and his boyfriend. Kisame had pretty much become a member of the family now. Sasuke still thought he was…odd, but more or less okay.

When Sasuke spontaneously confessed that he thought he was falling in love, neither of them made fun of him for it. Kisame thought it was cute, and Itachi seemed a little concerned, but neither seemed vehemently opposed to his interest in someone so much older than him. (…he found out later that Kisame had seen it coming, and was overjoyed to win the bet he had going with Itachi.)

So if his brother thought it was okay…well, _was_ it okay? This wasn’t something that had just happened overnight. His feelings had been growing for almost a year. He _knew_ they were real. He knew it wasn’t just a crush. …so what should he do about it?

He arrived at work the next day to a chorus of high-pitched _happy birthday_ ’s and hand-drawn cards, which he graciously accepted from the legion of chibis all around him. Birthdays were a big deal at the centre. Sasuke carefully tucked the cards in his bag, thinking of how cute they’d look pinned to his wall at home, next to some of the other drawings the kids had done for him.

The day ended as it usually did, with him and Naruto as the last two staff members remaining. It wasn’t unusual, and Sasuke always looked forward to having his undivided attention for even that short amount of time.

“Happy birthday, Sasuke!” Naruto said, herding him into the office and gleefully presenting him with his gift: a fluffy stuffed cat, with a bright orange ribbon around its neck.

Sasuke stared at the cat and at the cheerful grin on Naruto’s face. He rolled his eyes but held his hands out to accept it. “Great, thanks,” he said dryly. “Just what I always wanted.”

“Look, isn’t it cute??” Naruto exclaimed, poking the poor little thing’s face. “He’s all grumpy, just like you! But so sweet!”

Sasuke snatched the toy cat away from him. “Leave it alone!” he said. “He’s not _grumpy_ , he’s just not crazy like _you_.”

Naruto laughed and grinned. “So you had a good time with your brother yesterday?” he asked, changing the subject.

He nodded. “Yeah. It was…nice.” Nice, not just getting that time with Itachi, but getting his _support_ , on something that had been bothering him for so long.

Sasuke turned away to put Naruto’s present away in his bag, carefully nestling the little cat inside. He had to admit, it was kind-of cute, even if Naruto had just given it to him as a joke. This guy, honestly…who else would give a boy a _stuffed kitten_ as an eighteenth birthday present?

…well, they _did_ spend all their time together surrounded by children. Sasuke bit his lip, thinking hard. Naruto was definitely one of a kind, and this past year had certainly been unique. Maybe it was time. He’d wanted to say something for so long, but had always stopped himself- had always been too _scared_. What was he afraid of? Was he just a coward?

He was almost certain that Naruto was gay too. And he felt- in a way he couldn’t quite put into words- that Naruto _did_ returned his feelings. It’s not that Naruto flirted with him…not the way normal people flirted; but he _cared_. He was interested in Sasuke’s life, he wanted to spend time with him. And the way he spoke to him, the way he looked at him sometimes…there was something there. He was sure of it.

Sasuke stood up straight. He was going to say something. He didn’t know what, but _something_. He couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Naruto,” he said, still looking down at his bag, with the little kitten’s ear sticking out of the top. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to say-”

“Don’t,” Naruto said, interrupting him abruptly and stopping him short.

Sasuke blinked, and turned around to face him, surprised. Naruto had stopped smiling; actually, Naruto looked very serious, leaning against the window on the opposite side of the room. It was unnerving, but he went on.

“But,” he said, taking a quick breath, “I just wanted to say that-”

“Sasuke, please,” Naruto interrupted again, and this time the blonde frowned, and looked- sad. He gazed back at Sasuke, and the whole atmosphere in the room changed, and became tense, sparking with a strange kind of energy. “Don’t…don’t say it, Sasuke…”

Sasuke was floored. Did Naruto know what he was about to say? Was he _really_ so easy to read? And…and if Naruto knew what Sasuke wanted…why didn’t he want him to say it?

Naruto kept saying he didn’t see Sasuke as just a little kid anymore. He wasn’t cute little Sasuke-chan. But here he was, trying to stop him from speaking. No; he had to say it. He _had_ to.

Sasuke straightened his back and took a moment to gather his courage again. “Naruto,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “You know I’m eighteen now, so-”

“I know,” Naruto said, and Sasuke tensed up, annoyed at being interrupted yet again. This was just too frustrating. “Sasuke, I just…” he sighed, looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes.

Sasuke felt his annoyance melt away. He could see the tension in Naruto’s body; he was gripping the windowsill behind him hard and was breathing deep. Time passed slowly in the now quiet room, and Sasuke could feel his pulse racing.

“Sasuke, please,” Naruto eventually said, opening his eyes and gazing over at him, a pleading tone coming into his voice. “Just…. don’t, please, I couldn’t bare it if…”

He saw that Naruto was trembling, and there was so much sadness in his eyes. Sasuke’s heart fell at seeing his Naruto, his sunny, happy Naruto looking so- dejected. So suddenly miserable. _Did I do that?_

“…okay,” Sasuke said, speaking fast; “okay, I won’t.” _Just stop looking at me like that, just smile okay?_

They stared at each other across the room, the pleading in Naruto’s eyes as clear as day. And slowly, Naruto’s frown faded away, and he smiled, just softly, just lightly.

“Thank you, Sasuke,” he said, his voice low and quiet.

He nodded, feeling crushed, feeling confused. He picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?” he said, as he started to walk towards the door, turning his face away from the blonde.

“Definitely,” Naruto said back. “Have a good night, Sasuke.”

 _Don’t cry,_ Sasuke told himself as he left the centre, walking fast. _That wasn’t- that wasn’t anything, it wasn’t a **no**. _ It…well, Sasuke didn’t know what it was. He was hurting. But…at least they had tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I've been getting some really positive feedback for this fic and I'm so grateful that people have been enjoying it! And even though this is a very Sasuke-centric fic, I feel like people have understood Naruto's feelings as well. I'm so relieved that his perspective has been coming across. So, I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone for their response to this (potentially so controversial) story, and for all your lovely comments!!
> 
> Oh, and a quick heads-up: you may hate me (and Itachi-nii-san) at the end of this chapter. ...oops.

Over the next few days Sasuke experienced more raw emotion than he had in the past two years combined. He felt embarrassed- mortified beyond _belief_ \- about what he’d been about to say; he felt relieved that he’d been stopped. He was disappointed, he was devastated, he was _angry_ , to have been robbed of the chance to get what he wanted. He was happy, because now nothing would have to change. And he was anxious, and frightened, because everything _had_ changed.

Itachi found him curled up in a ball sobbing into his sheets like a baby, and his brother sat next to him and spoke softly to him, petting his hair, until he calmed down. And then Sasuke told him everything, just let it all out, the depth of his feelings for Naruto, his agony at being rejected. Once he was done Itachi nodded, and simply said how glad he was, that Sasuke had fallen for such a kind, decent person.

 _Was_ it kind and decent, what Naruto had done? Sasuke couldn’t read Naruto the way Naruto could read him. He didn’t know if Naruto really _did_ like him back. If he did…why couldn’t they be together? Age was just a number, wasn’t it?

Several days passed. Sasuke felt like all the energy had been sucked out of him, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He lay wrapped up in his blankets, staring at the ceiling, staring at the wall, staring at the little stuffed cat on his pillow.  But eventually, Sasuke felt that it was time to go back to work. He didn’t feel ready to face Naruto, to look him in the eye…but he _missed_ him. He missed the kids, and the other staff. The life and light of the centre had become something that Sasuke _needed_ , and without it, he might go back to drifting. No, that wouldn’t do, not at all.

***

So Sasuke called the centre and told Shizune-sensei that he would be back the next day, after his morning classes. When he arrived, he snuck in the door quietly, relieved that it was lunch time, and all the children were at the table and couldn’t mob him. He took a deep breath, made sure he wasn’t blushing, forced himself to smile, and walked into the lunch room to say hi.

“Sasuke-sensei!!” came the inevitable outcry from the thirty-or-so chibis around the table, and several pieces of food went flying as forks and spoons were waved around in greeting. Sasuke’s plastered-on smile became genuine, and he waved back and came into the room properly.

“Did you miss me?” he said to them as he perched on a spare, tiny chair, automatically slipping into work-mode and placing bits of apple and sandwich back on plates.

“Sensei, I drew you a picture!” one chibi announced; “I learnt how to write your name!” declared another.

“Are you feeling better?” Ayame-sensei asked, placing a sandwich in front of him on the table. “Don’t work too hard, if you’re not feeling up to it!”

Sasuke smiled at her and examined the sandwich in front of him- tomato and cheese. “I’m fine,” he said, and he wondered if it were true. He stole a glance down the table and found Naruto grinning at him and chatting with the kids around him, and he spun back around and grabbed his sandwich, bringing it to his mouth to cover up his blush.

He could do this. Naruto hadn’t let him say anything that night. So even if Naruto thought he knew what Sasuke was about to confess, Sasuke hadn’t _actually_ confessed anything. So, things could go back to normal, right? Right.

After lunch there were several loads of laundry and a huge list of miscellaneous chores to get done, and after that there were hordes of post-nap children demanding his attention. And so the time passed quickly, and it looked like Sasuke could get through the day without actually having to speak to Naruto directly. And yet, his awareness of the hyperactive blonde seemed even more intense than usual. Sasuke tensed up when Naruto came into whatever room he was in, and only relaxed when he left. The sound of his voice sent chills down his spine. His laughter set off a wave of butterflies in his stomach.

By five-thirty most of the children had been picked up by their parents, and the staff were getting ready to leave too. Sasuke quietly packed up his bag, thinking that he should slip away too. It was too soon, to be alone with Naruto in the office.

He was standing in the entrance when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, holding a baby up to his face. “Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed, waving the poor infant around. “Sasuke, look, Akane got her first tooth!!”

Naruto was grinning like an idiot, and Sasuke had to resist the urge to smile back. He stepped backwards so he could actually see little Akane properly, and stared at her mouth with its one, pearly-white tooth.

“Finally,” he said. “Maybe she’ll stop whining now.” Akane was reaching her pudgy arms out to him and Sasuke took hold of her, balancing her on his hip.

It was then that Naruto seemed to notice the bag on Sasuke’s back. “Oh,” he said, his grin fading. “You’re leaving already?”

“I’ve got an assignment due tomorrow,” Sasuke lied. “So I can’t stay late tonight.”

Naruto frowned. “But who’s going to process everyone’s payslips?” he whined.

Sasuke scowled, and glared at him. “ _You_ are, you idiot!” he cried, rolling his eyes, much to Akane’s delight- the little girl giggled and squirmed in his arms. “They’re in _your_ name, after all!”

“He makes a good point, boss,” said Shizune, slipping past them to the door and waving goodbye. “And it better be done, even if Sasuke-kun can’t do it!”

Naruto sighed. “Oh, fine...I guess I can do it this one time…but what about all the other paperwork-”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Sasuke interrupted, “you are _useless_!” So what if there was a fifteen-year age difference between them? In some ways, Naruto was far less capable than Sasuke was, honestly!

“Mama’s here!” screamed a child, running past them to the door. “I got Akane’s bag too, sensei!”

Sasuke sensed his chance to escape. He didn’t want to stick around for much longer, not once all the children had left. So he handed the baby off to her mother, and he quickly said goodbye and left, walking fast, not looking back.

 

***

Around the middle of the year, Itachi moved out of the apartment he and Sasuke owned together, and moved in with his boyfriend. Despite that, Sasuke still saw him pretty much every day, when Itachi would drop by to complain about how loud Kisame was, about how messy his house was, about his constant demands for food and sex. Sasuke often found himself wishing that Itachi would go back to not sharing _anything_ about his personal life.

Sasuke enjoyed the new-found freedom that came with living alone. He was actually making friends at university, though it was somewhat against his will. A pair of girls named Sakura and Ino had latched onto him and pulled him into their social circle. Once they found out he had his own apartment, the group spent more and more time there.

They were all surprised to find out just what Sasuke’s part-time job was. Children? Babies? _Really?_ But once Sasuke explained that it was mostly administrative- that it was good practice, actually, for what he was learning in class- they stopped teasing him about it.

“So they think you’re running this place, do they?” Naruto said with a laugh, when Sasuke told him about it. He’d taken to filling up the silences between them with stories about university and his friends. “They think you’re practicing to run your own childcare empire?” The blonde handed him a box of art supplies which Sasuke took and placed on a shelf.

Sasuke scowled. “Firstly, I didn’t tell them I was _running_ this place, and secondly, I actually _do_ run this place, and you’d fall apart without me here-”

“Hey, I’m getting a lot better!” Naruto protested, handing him another box. “I almost always get the payslips right these days!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and was about to refute this when one of the teachers approached, holding a wailing child out to Naruto.

“Na- Naato-sensei!!” the little boy cried, reaching out for the blonde, and burying his face in Naruto’s shoulder as soon as he could.

“Ohh, what’s the matter, Hiro-chan?” Naruto murmured, patting his back. “You miss your mama?” The little boy was new to the centre, and was finding it hard to be away from his family.

Sasuke watched as Hiro wrapped his skinny arms and legs around his precious Naruto-sensei and sobbed. “Ye- _yes_ ,” he wailed, clinging to Naruto’s shirt. Sasuke himself never had any idea what to do in these situations, but Naruto always knew what to say, how to make each child feel better. How did he do it?

He sighed, and watched Naruto deftly distract Hiro with some brightly coloured building blocks. Naruto was a natural, not just with kids, but with people in general. Sasuke would never be as comfortable, as easy, around other human beings as he was.

“Sasuke-sensei!” squealed Midori-chan, running up to him. “Is it true that you have a _boyfriend_?”

Sasuke froze, and blushed bright red. “Midori-chan!” he exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”

“Akito said so!” she said, clinging onto Sasuke’s legs and poking her tongue out at the boy who came up to join them. “It’s not true, is it, sensei??”

“It _is_!” Akito said, “and he even _kisses_ him, so there-”

“I _don’t_ have a boyfriend!” Sasuke interrupted, trying to bring the heat in his cheeks under control. He turned his head and glared at Naruto, who grinned and shrugged.

“I didn’t say anything,” he said, laughing.

“Well, it’s not true,” Sasuke said again, looking down at the squabbling pair. He certainly wasn’t about to explain the difference between _dating_ and _boyfriends_ to these two.

“Boys are _yucky_ ,” Midori declared, wrinkling her nose. “Don’t kiss them, Sasuke-sensei!”

“Sensei is a boy too, you know,” Akito said to her, poking her arm. “So there!”

Midori shrieked and flew at him, and they both ran out of the room screaming. Sasuke sighed, and glanced at Naruto again.

“I swear,” the blonde said, giving Sasuke his ‘I’m innocent’ look, and handing another block to the still-sobbing Hiro. “It wasn’t me! They must have heard about your man from someone else!”

 _…ugh, how embarrassing_ , Sasuke thought, as he reluctantly left the room to make sure that Midori and Akito hadn’t torn each other apart. It was bad enough that Naruto knew about Kiba- he’d pried and pried until Sasuke had told him who he was texting with so much these days- but to have the kids know??

This thing with Kiba was new, and he’d rather not be teased about it, thank you very much. Sasuke had only ever dated one other person, a girl, when he was fifteen. He hadn’t wanted to, but all the other guys were obsessed with girls, so he did it to shut them all up. She was pleasant enough, and had even taught him how to kiss with tongues, in a process that still made Sasuke feel embarrassed. But still, once things progressed further and clothing was removed, Sasuke knew for _sure_ that he was gay, and that was the end of _that_.

***

Sasuke groaned into his pillow, feeling thoroughly ashamed of himself. He’d kicked Kiba out about an hour ago, after they’d been fooling around on the couch and he’d started to feel all hot-and-bothered. And when he felt that Kiba was actually, um, _interested_ as well, he freaked out and pushed the brunette off him. No, no, he _did_ not want that, not at all!

Kiba had left and been good-natured about it, agreeing that they should take things slow, even though they’d been dating for several months now. Kiba was nice, and he treated Sasuke well. …which just made Sasuke feel even _worse_ about everything. The truth was, Sasuke was definitely…. _interested_ …in taking things further; just not with _Kiba_. Once his boyfriend left Sasuke had been in quite a state, desperately trying to stop thinking about what it would be like to have _Naruto_ on top of him instead, making out on the couch, rubbing up against him. What it would be like to run his hands through that blonde hair, tug his mouth down to his own, tear at his shirt and pants until they came off.

Sasuke groaned again. Yes, he’d always thought Naruto was attractive; yes, he’d enjoyed staring at him from that very first day he started working at the centre. But he’d never let himself think about Naruto in _this_ way before. What was wrong with him?! When Kiba kissed him, all he could think about was Naruto. When Kiba ran his hands down his back, Sasuke’s mind filled with images of Naruto’s hands all over him, running up his shirt, gripping his hips.

God, there was something seriously wrong with him, this was _sick_. And now he was lying panting on his bed, worn out from having taken care of his…interest. He needed to go take a long, cold shower. He shifted on the bed and opened his eyes, and they landed on the little stuffed cat that lived on his pillow. He glared at it. _Don’t you judge me_ , he said to it in his mind. … _this won’t happen again._

***

It seemed like the longer Sasuke was dating Kiba, the happier Naruto was, and the more relaxed he became around Sasuke. It had taken almost six months for things to go back to normal, six months of Sasuke covering up his blushing and having to watch what he said. Six months of Naruto being overly cheerful around him, a little forced with his smiles and teasing, a little distant.

But finally, it didn’t feel so tense anymore if they happened to find themselves alone together. Sasuke stopped trying to leave the centre at the same time as the other staff, and went back to spending an hour or so in the office each evening. The silences between them became less awkward, and more comfortable.

Except…did Naruto really have to be _so_ happy that Sasuke was in a relationship? He seemed genuinely pleased that Sasuke was enjoying his classes and making new friends, and that things with Kiba were going well.

Sasuke had tried venting his frustrations to Itachi, who as usual didn’t seem forthcoming with any actual _useful_ advice. Kisame, on the other hand, had suggested that Naruto was just glad that Sasuke was getting some experience. Yes, he’d said it with a smirk, and Itachi had elbowed him in the stomach and glared at him for it, but actually, it had made Sasuke feel a little bit better.

Maybe Naruto was just glad that he was growing up.

In any case, he was just relieved that they could sit and talk like they used to, without it being weird. On this night they sat in the office eating cup ramen, Naruto with much more enthusiasm than Sasuke, going over the month’s budget. Sasuke was glad to see that the centre was in much better shape these days; the finances actually looked fine.

“See!” Naruto said, looking jubilant. “See, it’s good, right?! I’m getting better at all this stuff!”

“Are you?” Sasuke teased. “Or am I just doing more than usual?”

Naruto grinned. “No, I’m definitely getting better, you never know, I could turn out to be a genius at all this!”

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was still a huge challenge to get Naruto sitting down and talking about numbers and policies and things he needed to approve and sign. He wouldn’t be happy until all he had to do was play with the kids.

“I’m going to start keeping my own food here, I think,” Sasuke said, pushing his finished ramen away. “I can’t eat this stuff anymore.”

“I could eat it forever,” Naruto said with a happy sigh, grabbing the kettle to pour some water into a second cup. And then Naruto’s phone beeped at him and he snatched at it, frowned, and pushed it away.

He’d been doing that all night.

“Hey, Naruto,” Sasuke said on an impulse. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Naruto dropped his chopsticks and made a little squeak-like sound. “Uh, what? What makes you think that??” he said, eyes widening.

Sasuke shrugged. “Just curious. But you always get to tease me about Kiba, so…”

Naruto laughed, somewhat nervously. “Uh, yeah, I guess that’s true. Umm…well, yes, I do, actually.”

Sasuke tried to keep a neutral expression on his face, and told himself that this was the answer he was expecting. Of _course_ Naruto was dating someone, why wouldn’t he be? It was nothing to get upset about, it didn’t change anything.

He shuffled forward and leant onto the table. “What’s he like?” he asked, wondering just how far he could push this.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and looked embarrassed. “Oh, well, he’s…he’s smart, I guess. And he works really hard. His family runs this big business in the city.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. That didn’t sound like the kind of guy Naruto would be interested in at all. And was that him who’d been texting him all evening and making him frown? No, Sasuke didn’t like the sound of this guy at all.

“A businessman, huh,” he said, staring over at Naruto.

“…yeah,” Naruto said back. “He’ll own the whole thing one day, when his uncle retires.”

So, Sasuke was dating someone, Naruto was dating someone, they both had boyfriends. That was fine. That was good, even. Everything was just fine. It didn’t matter that Naruto’s boyfriend sounded like a jerk; for all Sasuke knew, they could be very happy together, ecstatically happy. And Sasuke was sure that as time went on, he could be just as happy with Kiba.

 _Yes_ , he told himself. _Everything is fine._

***

Sasuke paced back and forth, feeling unreasonably nervous. _Just ask him, you loser,_ he told himself sternly, making himself stop walking and stand up straight. There was no-one else around, and Naruto was in a good mood. Surely he would say yes.

He nodded to himself and opened the office door. “Naruto,” he called, before he could chicken out. “I have a favour to ask you!”

Naruto turned around from where he was sorting papers into the filing cabinet. “Sure,” he said, smiling at him. “Everything okay? You’ve been a bit quiet today.”

“I’m alright,” he said back, quickly. _Keep going,_ he told himself, _just push through it._ “It’s just that, well, it’s almost November, and, um…”

“Right,” Naruto said, putting his papers down and giving Sasuke his full attention. “How are you feeling about that? The three-year anniversary.”

“I think I’m okay,” Sasuke said back, feeling reasonably sure that this wasn’t a lie. “Itachi and I were going to visit the cemetery. We’ve only done it a few times before, so…”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Naruto said with a nod. He turned and looked at the calendar on the wall. “So you’re going to take that day off?”

“Um, well,” Sasuke said, fidgeting. “It turns out Itachi won’t be in town on that day, so he can’t come with me.”

“…I see,” Naruto said. “That’s too bad. You’re going to go alone?”

Sasuke bit his lip. _Just do it, do it now,_ he told himself. “Well, I wanted to ask if- if _you_ would come with me.”

There, it was out, he’d done it! Yes, good.

Naruto blinked and looked startled. “Oh!” he said. “Oh, um, I- well, of course, if you want me to-”

“It’s just that, I don’t want to go alone,” Sasuke interrupted, “and, you know…”

“You don’t want to take Kiba?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No,” he said. As if!

Naruto stared over at him, and then glanced over at the calendar, frowning slightly. “…okay,” he finally said. “Of course, I’d be happy to come with you.”

Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to leave. Good; he wouldn’t have to go alone. And this felt right. It had been a whole year- a _long_ year- since last November, when he’d been in tears, right here in this office. Some things might have changed since then, but there still wasn’t anyone else that Sasuke would want beside him on that day.

“Hey, Naruto,” he asked, spontaneously, stopping in his tracks. “How did your parents die?” He turned around, and saw Naruto looking- startled.

“Where did that come from, Sasuke?” he said, his voice sound slightly bemused.

Sasuke blushed. “Ah! No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry!” he exclaimed. “It’s just- you’ve always been so nice about my parents, and I never even asked about yours, it just seems really mean-”

“It’s okay,” Naruto said back with a laugh, waving him off. “Really! I didn’t lose my parents like you did, so don’t worry about it.”

Sasuke was still blushing, and he felt mortified that he’d just blurted out something so insensitive, without even thinking! “I’m really sorry,” he said again, hoping he hadn’t actually upset him.

“Really, it’s fine!” Naruto said. “My mother died when I was born, and my father- he was in an accident when I was three. Oh, actually, hang on…” Naruto turned and walked over to the desk, pulling open a drawer and rummaging through it. “Here,” he said, handing something out for Sasuke to see.

 _Oh, wow_ , Sasuke thought, taking the paper and holding it up to his face. It was a photo of a tiny blonde child, dressed in a fluffy orange sweater, and nestled in the arms of a man who looked so much like Naruto, he was actually shocked.  “This is _you_?” he asked, not quite believing it- Naruto was so _little_! But his face, his smile, his wide blue eyes- they were all still the same as they were now!

Naruto nodded. “I look just like my dad, right?” he said with a grin. “I’ve got lots of photos of me as a baby. I think my dad was obsessed with his camera.” He laughed a little at that.

But then his laughter faded slightly, as Sasuke handed the photo back to him.

“I wish I remembered him,” Naruto said, tracing over the figures on the paper. “Sometimes I think I do, but…I think it’s just from seeing the photos. You know that feeling?”

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke said, softly, feeling like he shouldn’t have brought it up…even if seeing little toddler Naruto had been _amazing_.

“…thank you,” Naruto said back, and then he turned away and carefully placed the photo back in the drawer, pushing it closed.

***

Sasuke stared at the gates of the cemetery, frowning and fidgeting. This was it. It had been three years; Sasuke wasn’t a hysterical mess, he wasn’t in denial, he wasn’t drifting. He was fine. So what if he was a little nervous about visiting his parents’ grave? That was normal, right?

“Everything okay?” Naruto asked him, stepping closer, looking concerned.

Sasuke nodded. “Yeah, I just…I guess it’s been a while.”

Naruto stared at him, narrowing his eyes a little, and then nodded back. And then he reached out and took Sasuke’s hand, and gave it a little squeeze. “I’m here, Sasuke,” he said. “It’ll be okay.”

Sasuke froze, surprised. It had been a long time since Naruto had touched him- on purpose, at least. He’d been very careful _not_ to. He made himself relax, and take a deep breath. “…the grave isn’t that far,” he said, starting to walk. He laced his fingers through Naruto’s, not wanting him to let go.

Naruto followed behind him as Sasuke led them down the path between the trees and headstones. The cemetery was quiet; it looked like it was just the two of them. He walked slowly. The grave wasn’t that far away, and it felt so nice- so perfect- to be walking along with his hand in Naruto’s, like it was the most natural thing in the world. But in a few minutes, they’d arrived.

“Here it is,” he said to Naruto. They stared down at the dark charcoal-coloured granite with Sasuke’s family name on it. “My grandparents are here, too,” he explained, “and their parents as well.” He gently pulled his hand away, very reluctantly, and went to kneel down in front of the plaque, tracing his fingers over the inscriptions. He felt oddly calm, seeing the names all listed there tidily, all in order.

“It’s lovely,” Naruto said, standing just behind them. “This is a nice area.”

Sasuke nodded. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small flower. The gravesite was very tidy; Sasuke knew that his cousin had been here recently, he always kept things well maintained as a favour to them. He placed the little blue flower beside the others on the granite.

“Hi mum, hi dad,” he said to the names, speaking softly. “Sorry I haven’t been in a while. I guess I’ve been busy.” He stood up, and brushed the dirt of his pants. “I don’t know if you remember this guy. Maybe you do,” he said, glancing quickly at Naruto.

Naruto smiled. “I brought something for them,” he said to Sasuke. “Do you think it’s okay?”

“What did you bring?” Sasuke asked, curious. What would Naruto bring for Sasuke’s parents?

“It took a while to find, but I knew it was around the centre somewhere.” He dug around in his pockets and then carefully pulled out a photo, quickly looking it over before handing it to Sasuke.

It was a picture of Sasuke and his parents, standing in the entrance of the centre. Sasuke was small, this must have been his first year there. And his parents were smiling, even his father, and his mother was hugging him from behind. He was holding a hideously ugly clay cat like it was a masterpiece.

“It was Family Day,” Naruto explained. “We still keep all the photos, from every year. I think this was actually my first year at the centre as well.”

Sasuke nodded, trying not to let the trembling in his hands show. He didn’t really remember this, but even now there was a wall at the centre covered with photos of the children with their families, most of them proudly showing off artwork.

“Thank you,” Sasuke said, his voice slightly shaky. He turned away and knelt down again, gently placing the photo next to the flower. He took a moment to gaze at the three faces, all of them looking so happy, so content.

He stood up and bit his lip. He didn’t want to cry. He was okay. He just…he _missed_ them. He missed what it would have been like to have them with him. What would they have thought of his life now, working at a childcare centre, studying business? Everyone had thought he’d go into medicine, just like them, just like Itachi. They’d had a plan…but things didn’t quite turn out that way.

Suddenly he turned and stepped towards Naruto, reaching for him out of instinct, and when Naruto wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer he squeezed his eyes shut, and breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke felt that familiar warmth all around him and held on tight, just taking a moment to simply be here with him, to be holding him again after so long.

“I still have that ugly cat,” he murmured into Naruto’s chest. “We found it in my dad’s study. He must have kept it.”

“Of course he did,” Naruto murmured back, his breath tickling the back of Sasuke’s neck. “Who would throw that away?”

Sasuke had, in fact, been _very_ close to throwing it away, to smashing it into a thousand pieces on the ground. His breathing hitched in his throat and he pressed further into the croak of Naruto’s neck, gripping the back of his shirt hard. And Naruto ran a hand through his hair and down his face and then, very lightly, very softly, kissed his cheek.

They stood there in the sun, holding onto each other tightly, Sasuke not moving an inch, feeling the warmth of Naruto’s skin against his, and the heat in his own cheeks where Naruto had kissed him. And then Sasuke heard his phone ring, his brother’s ringtone, and he pulled away, breathing shakily.

“I should get that,” Sasuke said, still flushed bright red, looking down at his feet.

“Right,” Naruto said, “it’s Itachi, isn’t it?” He stepped away and moved a little down the path to a nearby bench, and Sasuke sighed, pulling his phone out of his bag, and cursing his brother to a very painful death for interrupting the moment.

***

Sasuke had been waiting for more than a week for the right time, but he knew he couldn’t wait any longer, it had to be now. Naruto and the staff were expecting him to be around during his school holidays, to be working more hours in the next few months. He had to be responsible, and tell them- tell them now.

“Hey, um, Naruto?” he said, peering into the kitchen where he and Ayame were going over the lunch menus. “Do you have a moment?”

“Sure,” Naruto said back with a grin. “What’s up? Should we go to the office?”

Sasuke shook his head. It would probably be a lot better if there were other people around. “No, it’s just about my plans for the next few months.”

“You should take some time off, Sasuke-kun,” Ayame said to him sternly. “You work far too hard! You should be enjoying yourself.”

“Are you going on holidays?” Naruto asked, still grinning. “You can take _some_ time off, you know. Several days, if you need to.”

Sasuke nodded, not responding to Naruto’s teasing. “Well, you see, Itachi got offered an exchange at a hospital in London, a chance to work over there for a while.”

“London?” Ayame said. “He’s going to work in England?”

“It’s a good chance for him, it’ll help him get the job he wants over here,” Sasuke explained.

Naruto stared at him, still smiling, though not quite as brightly now. “So, you’re thinking of going over to see him while he’s there? It’ll be cold, you know!”

Sasuke hesitated, but he had to get this out. “Actually…Itachi wants me there the whole time. Until school starts again, in February.”

“Until _February_?” Ayame exclaimed. “Wow! That’s…more than three months!”

Sasuke nodded again. “Right…and, well, I said yes.”

Naruto wasn’t smiling now. “Three months, Sasuke?” he said, his eyes wide. “You’ll be gone for that long?”

He shifted on his feet, feeling awkward. “…yeah,” he said. “But, I was worried about the centre being understaffed, so-”

“Oh, don’t worry about that!” Ayame interrupted. “We’ve always got less kids over the holidays. You’ll have a great time! Right boss?” she went on, nudging her elbow into Naruto’s arm.

“Uh, right,” Naruto said, his voice a little hoarse. “So…when would you leave?”

“…a few days,” Sasuke reluctantly said back.

Naruto’s face fell, and Sasuke felt _awful_. “Oh,” Naruto said. “Well…you’re going to have a great time, I’m sure.”

And for all that night, and the next few days as Sasuke rushed around panicking and getting everything together, that face was all he could see. Every moment he felt like changing his mind, telling Itachi he couldn’t leave, going to Naruto and saying he couldn’t possibly stay away for so long- and yet his body put itself on auto-pilot, and before he knew it, he was at the airport with Itachi, getting onto a plane.

He was going away, for more than three months, to the other side of the world- and it was breaking his heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmmm naughty Naruto, that may not have been wise!! (Though some of you might just be angry at Itachi for interrupting the moment, ahaha.) And now our boys are going to be separated for more than three months!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter- please stop by to say HI in the comments and let me know what you thought~~.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we gooooo, chapter four!! Thanks for all the comments so far, you guys really make my day, I'm so happy that people like this fic!!

Once again, Sasuke was spending hours at a time just wandering around aimlessly, without any actual destination in mind; he just went wherever his legs took him. Here in London, he had no real responsibilities- no studying, no work. It meant a lot of free time, so…he walked.

He got lost a fair bit. It was cold, and rainy. And there were a lot of people around, no matter where he went. He didn’t mind that; those things didn’t bother him. But it occurred to him that he’d come full circle, and despite all the progress he’d made in the past two years, he was back to where he’d started- wandering aimlessly, drifting, floating. He was in limbo, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

Naruto had _kissed_ him. It probably barely counted as a kiss; it had only been a few moments, and it had been so light, so gentle- nothing, really. But it was still a _kiss_ , and Sasuke could still feel that warmth on his cheek. He still remembered, vividly, what he’d felt like, standing there in Naruto’s arms on that day.

Sasuke didn’t like that he’d become such a sentimental person. How could he have let this guy take over his mind like this, turn his brain into mush? It didn’t make _sense_. Sasuke had seen his pathetic little baby crush evolve into something intense and powerful, a need deep within him- but there was nothing he could do about it.

Obviously, the situation was complicated, and even if Sasuke was fine with it, and willing to overlook the strangeness in their relationship, that didn’t mean that _Naruto_ was. Or did he just need more time? Or should Sasuke just be trying harder?

He didn’t know, and so he walked, and he thought, and didn’t really get anywhere at all.

***

“Did you speak to Kiba today?” Itachi asked him over dinner, as he divided up their takeaway Chinese onto two plates.

Sasuke nodded. He made himself call his boyfriend once every few days. That’s what you did, wasn’t it, when you were in a relationship but you went away for several months? “Yeah,” he said. “Seems like he’s having a fun holiday.”

“If only _you_ were having a fun holiday,” Itachi said to that, pushing a plate of noodles towards him.

Sasuke scowled. “I’m having a _great_ time,” he declared, taking a fork and digging into his dinner. “Honestly!”

His brother stared at him critically for a few moments. “I have a few days off next week. We’ll go do some sightseeing.”

“Fine,” Sasuke said with a shrug. “And really, I like it here. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Itachi sighed. “I always worry about you,” he said.

Well, it’s not like Sasuke could do anything about _that_.

***

A month passed. One day Sasuke stopped on a random street and saw one of those huge red buses coming towards him. He still wasn’t used to things like that, those bizarrely British things that were actually _real_. Like, people here really _did_ say ‘lovely’ all the time, and drank insane amounts of tea- a habit he’d quickly picked up as well, despite having never drunk tea before in his _life_. It was like he and Itachi had stepped into another dimension, a world apart from their usual lives.

On instinct, Sasuke quickly got his phone out of his pocket and snapped a photo of the bus before it disappeared. He got ready to send it to- well, who should he send it to, actually? His thumb hovered over his two favourited contacts, his mind going back and forth, before he finally made a decision and clicked ‘send’.

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply. _What?? Those things are **real**?!_ wrote Naruto. _Please tell me you’ve actually been on one._

Sasuke smiled and typed out a reply. _Yeah, a few times. On the top level._

Ten minutes later his phone beeped again. _I showed the photo to Midori and Hiro,_ Naruto’s message read. _And now we’re drawing cars and buses. Everyone says hi. Keep having an amazing time._

Sasuke smiled down at his phone, feeling a spark run through him, a kind of energy that he’d been missing this whole time. He started walking again, his mood lighter and brighter now, and he decided he’d stop by the market and pick up some groceries. He’d make dinner for him and Itachi tonight. Something special.

***

“I think I’m going to break up with Kiba,” Sasuke spontaneously announced over dinner one night.

Itachi put down the magazine he was reading and stared over at him. “…I see,” he said, his expression carefully neutral.

“I just think it’s for the best,” Sasuke went on. Better to do it now, get it over and done with, before they went home- and then he could start the new school year with a clean slate.

Itachi took his time responding to that, and in the silence Sasuke fidgeted anxiously on his chair. It’s not like he needed his brother’s approval to break up with his boyfriend. But Itachi would surely understand _why_ he was doing it, and he probably wouldn’t approve of _that_.

 “Sasuke,” Itachi eventually said. “How far did you go with young Kiba?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. What kind of question was that? “Are you asking me if I slept with him?” Sasuke asked, feeling annoyed. What did _that_ have to do with anything? And so what if he hadn’t ever slept with Kiba? And so what if had Kiba really wanted them to?

“That’s what I’m asking, yes,” Itachi confirmed, with the barest of smiles tugging on his mouth. “You’re eighteen, after all. Almost nineteen.”

He scowled. Yes, he knew how old he was, than you very much. “What I did or didn’t do with Kiba is none of your business!” he declared. “I’m just saying, I’ve thought about it, and it would be better to end it now, rather than let it drag on!”

Itachi merely gave a brief nod. “I understand it might be…intimidating. But that’s no reason to give up. Here, let me call Kisame, he’ll talk you through it-”

“Oh my _god_!” Sasuke exclaimed. “This has nothing to do with _sex_!” He stood up abruptly and his chair fell to the ground behind him. “I just don’t _love_ him, okay?!” He stormed out of the tiny kitchen and into his room, slamming the door behind him. What an idiotic brother he had!

Sasuke gave himself some time to calm down, and then he picked up his phone and made the call. He should do it now, before he chickened out. What followed was a very long and frustrating conversation, but finally, it was over. He hung up the phone and it was done. He was free.

***

The weather had taken a turn and had gotten even colder, the air crisp and fresh against Sasuke’s skin. Itachi bought him a big fluffy red scarf to wrap around his throat and face when he went out walking.

Christmas was fast approaching, and they’d passed the halfway point of their stay in London. There was still plenty of uncovered ground for Sasuke to explore, however.

And then one grey, overcast day, Sasuke stood still in a quiet park, looking up at the sky. Was that…? No, it couldn’t be. …but, no, it was; it was _snowing_.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sasuke had fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled, holding it up to his ear, all the while staring up the sky at the tiny glimmering flakes falling around him. Some of them fell onto his face, landing on his nose and cheeks, and then melted into little dots of freezing-cold water. He smiled.

His phone stopped ringing. “Sasuke?!” came Naruto’s voice, sharp and panicked. “What’s wrong?!”

Sasuke tensed. What did he mean? “Nothing’s wrong,” he said back. “I’m fine, I just-”

“Are you sure? It’s the middle of the night!”

 _Oh, shit!_ He hadn’t even thought about that! “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed, “I didn’t even _think_ about the time difference, I just called-”

“So nothing’s wrong?” Naruto demanded.

“No, no, I’m fine! I’m _so_ sorry, I must have woken you up!”

“Oh, good,” Naruto said, and Sasuke heard him breathing a huge sigh of relief. “No, it’s fine. You can call me whenever you want. I just looked at my phone and freaked out like the idiot that I am.” Naruto laughed at himself, and the sound went right into Sasuke’s bones, spreading warmth throughout him at once. It had been so long.

“It’s snowing,” he spoke into the phone, with a sheepish grin. “I…I just wanted to tell someone.”

“Really?” Naruto exclaimed. “I’ve never seen snow before! What’s it like?”

“Well,” Sasuke said, still grinning like an idiot, standing here in the park talking into his phone. “It’s- it’s really light right now, it’s melting before it even hits the ground. And the snowflakes are so tiny, they’re just taking their time drifting down.”

“Ohh,” Naruto said with a sigh. “That sounds amazing. What does it taste like?”

“What does it _taste_ like?!” Sasuke exclaimed. “What kind of question is that?”

“Don’t make fun of me!” Naruto shot back. “I’ve just always wondered, okay? We can’t all be in London, Sasuke, so you’re just going to have to taste it for me-”

“Okay, okay, hang on!” Sasuke said with a laugh. He quickly looked around him, confirming that he was alone in this corner of the park, and then he looked up with his mouth open, feeling like a complete moron, until he managed to catch some of the flakes on his tongue. He laughed again.

“Well?” came Naruto’s voice over the phone, demanding Sasuke’s attention.

“It tastes just like water!” Sasuke said, “cold, frozen water! Honestly, what did you _expect_?”

“Oh,” said Naruto, “well, I don’t know what I expected, but, I don’t know, maybe…”

“Go back to sleep, you moron,” Sasuke teased. “You’re starting to sound like a crazy person!”

“I can’t sleep now,” Naruto whined. “I wanna see snow too! This is so unfair…will you take pictures for me?”

“I will,” Sasuke promised. “But hopefully it’ll snow properly soon. I don’t think you’d even be able to see these tiny snowflakes.”

“Hmm,” Naruto murmured. “That’s too bad.” He’d stopped laughing now, and his voice had become soft and low. Sasuke wondered if he was falling asleep. It must be…about three in the morning over there. He felt a pang of guilt and swore to himself that he’d never just randomly call him again, not without actually checking the time!

“I’ll try,” Sasuke said. “If nothing else, I guess this is a pretty nice park, so.”

“Hmm,” Naruto said again, sounding serious now. “Hey, Sasuke? I know this call must be costing you a fortune, but do you have another minute?”

At the change in Naruto’s tone, Sasuke’s stomach suddenly flipped over and his heart started beating wildly in his chest. _Calm down, idiot_ , he told himself, but obviously _that_ wasn’t going to happen. “S- sure,” he stammered, “it’s fine.”

“I just wanted to say sorry,” Naruto blurted out, speaking quickly. “I- for that time, in the cemetery. I just- I wanted to say sorry. I think I crossed a line.”

Sasuke frowned, and froze. He was sorry? He…he thought it was a mistake? _Quick, say something back_! “I couldn’t have gone there without you,” he said, speaking calmly and deliberately. “You were- perfect. I was really grateful.”

“No, I was really happy you asked me,” Naruto said back, still speaking quickly. Sasuke had to listen carefully, just to catch all his words. “But, I was just trying to be comforting, you were upset, it wasn’t right of me to-”

“It _was_ right,” Sasuke interrupted before he could get any further. “It was _fine_. Honestly, don’t worry about it!” _Please don’t regret it. Please don’t think it was a mistake!_

“You’re not angry?” Naruto asked, actually sounding timid.

“I’m not angry,” Sasuke replied. “Like you said, I was upset, and, well. You don’t need to be sorry.”

“…thank you,” Naruto murmured. “It’s kinda been weighing on me.”

“Right, because you don’t have anything better to do,” Sasuke teased, desperate to change the subject. “Like running a business, for example.”

Naruto paused. “That’s all been going very well, I’ll have you know,” he said back, and Sasuke could hear the grin in his voice.

Sasuke sighed, letting out the breath he’d been holding in. He felt shaky, hearing Naruto’s words, but it also felt _amazing_ , just to be talking to him. This call probably _was_ costing him a fortune, and he was keeping Naruto awake to boot, but he’d be damned if he was going to hang up any time soon.

***

After that, Sasuke spoke to Naruto every few days, and sent photos to him and the kids. He’d tell them stories about London, like how there were people here who never drank water, only tea, or about the family of ducks in a nearby park that actually recognized Sasuke now. One time Naruto sent him back a video of all the kids laughing hysterically at Naruto’s “British” accent.

One day Sasuke even had ramen for lunch, at this place he’d randomly found while out walking, and he made sure to send Naruto plenty of photos. The blonde ramen-lover was understandably jealous at all the different flavours Sasuke could try. Sasuke bought some of the take-home packs as a souvenir.

Itachi seemed concerned at Sasuke’s sudden change in attitude, but wisely chose not to discuss it with him. They celebrated Christmas and New Year’s together, and January flew by, and before Sasuke knew it, they were on a plane and heading home.

***

Sasuke wasn’t meant to go back to work for another few days- he would need time to recover from his jet-lag, Shizune-sensei had said. But as soon as he got back home he was jittery and restless, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He’d tried to have a midday nap and it hadn’t worked, so what was the point? He wanted to see them all, see their smiles and happy faces.

Unfortunately, as soon as Sasuke stepped through the front door, he realised he wouldn’t be seeing many happy faces that day. The centre was obviously having some kind of meltdown, with several children screaming their heads off and the staff running around like crazy. Sasuke stood frozen in the doorway watching the madness- there was Kota screaming at one poor toddler, and then throwing up all over him- and he considered stepping back out the front door before anyone saw him.

“Ah, Sasuke-kun!” exclaimed Shizune-sensei, rushing past him with a baby in one arm and a phone in the other. “Welcome home! Are you coming back to work today? Thank god!”

“What happened?” he asked, watching an irate Ayame-sensei herding a bunch of kids from the playroom to the outdoor area.

“Chicken pox and stomach flu outbreak on the same day,” Shizune-sensei said. “Can you take the phone to Naruto in the office? It’s Akane’s mother. Thank you, Sasuke!!” And then she raced off to comfort the poor child that Kota had thrown up on.

…well, since he was here, he might as well help out. He went over to the office and quickly opened the door. And there he found Naruto with a sobbing, whimpering Akane in his arms, and two more children on futons on the floor. One was poor Midori-chan, her face and arms all red and scratched up. This was the chicken pox zone, evidently!

“Sasuke!” Naruto said, staring at him in shock and delight. “What are you doing here? How was your flight?!”

Sasuke smiled and handed the phone out to him. “I’m here to help. Take this, it’s Akane’s mother.”

“Oh, good,” said Naruto, shifting Akane to one shoulder. “Ah, Sasuke- have you had chicken pox? You probably shouldn’t be in here!”

“I’ve had them,” Sasuke said with a nod, glancing at the unhappy baby on the blonde’s hip- the poor thing.

“Good,” Naruto said, and then started speaking into the phone.

Sasuke felt something tugging his pants and he looked down to see Midori staring up at him. “Sasuke-sensei!” she exclaimed. “I’ve got chicken pox!”

“I can see that,” he said, kneeling down next to her. “How are you feeling?”

“It _hurts_ ,” she whined, rubbing her cheeks and eyes. “He said I can’t scratch. But it’s itchy!”

“The medicine will kick in soon, Midori-chan,” Naruto quickly said to her, turning the phone away from his mouth. “Be a good girl, okay?”

Midori’s eyes filled with tears and her lower lip started quivering. “I need more of the magic potion!” she demanded, pointing to a jug of green liquid on the desk; it looked suspiciously like lime cordial. “Please, Sasuke-sensei!”

“Oh,” he said. “I don’t know…”

Naruto hung up the phone behind him. “You’ve already had some,” he said to Midori, “but since you asked so nicely, maybe Sasuke will get you just a little bit more?”

She brightened and smiled at them. “Please, Sasuke-sensei?”

Sasuke bit back a grin and poured some of the cordial into a plastic cup. “I can’t believe he’s letting you have some of this,” he said to Midori, trying to keep a straight face.

“I know,” she said back, her tone sober, as she took the cup and drank it all in one go. “Ahhhh,” she said, “that’s better!”

“How about you try to have a nap now?” Naruto suggested to her. “Your brother’s already fast asleep!”

“Okay,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I’ll try.”

Naruto smiled at her as she lay down on her futon, and then he turned to Sasuke, indicating for him to follow him out of the office.

Sasuke gently closed the door behind them.

“Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed. “If you could stay today, that would be amazing, but, aren’t you _exhausted_?”

Sasuke shook his head. “I’m okay. I’ll help. What should I do?”

“Okay, well, I need to put some more cream on this little one, and then her mother will be here soon. We’re trying to keep the kids with the flu quarantined, the slightly sick ones are in the playroom and the throwing up ones in the nap room, but they keep escaping, maybe you could help with that?”

“I’ll do what I can,” he said, turning to go. “…has it been like this the whole time I’ve been gone?”

“Oh, of course!” Naruto said with a grin. “We all just fell apart without you! Hey, did you get taller?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Maybe?” he replied.

“You’re definitely taller. And you changed your hair,” Naruto added, looking him up and down, squinting. “You look…different.”

Did he? Well, maybe that was a good thing.

He shrugged again. “I don’t know about that. You probably just forgot what I looked like.”

Naruto laughed at that, and then gave him a quick wave and stepped back inside the office.

Sasuke sighed, took a deep breath, and then grabbed an apron before venturing into the playroom. Sick, screaming, vomiting kids on top of jet lag? Well, why not.

***

Sakura and Ino were annoyed at him for breaking up with Kiba without discussing it with them first. Apparently, the rules of friendship required him to run things like this past them beforehand. But they eventually calmed down and didn’t seem to mind, since Kiba wasn’t a part of their immediate circle.

In any case, they cheered up a lot when Sasuke threw some shiny London trinkets at them, and they forgave him completely.

Sasuke decided not to tell them about Naruto.

Sasuke had never broken up with someone before, so it was a bit awkward seeing Kiba at school. But he got used to it, and was just so relieved to have made that decision that it was worth a bit of awkwardness.

Things seemed different between him and Naruto now. Maybe the three months away had done them some good? But he was given a stern lecture by Kisame (on Itachi’s behalf) about how he shouldn’t get his hopes up, he had to be _careful_ , so that he didn’t get hurt again.

It was a bit too late for that. Sasuke’s hopes had _always_ been up. And to think, he’d always considered himself a fairly pessimistic person; apparently he _wasn’t_ , at least not when it came to Naruto.

“More tea?” Naruto said to him as they sat at the table, his voice was full of teasing. He seemed to find Sasuke’s new addiction endlessly hilarious. “We’ll have to start buying more, if you keep this up!”

Sasuke just slid his mug over to him and glared. _Yes_ , he would have more tea!

It had been a few days since the chicken pox and stomach flu outbreak had died down. Sasuke finally had the chance to go over all the paperwork and payslips from the past three months, trawling for the mistakes that Naruto would _surely_ have made, that hopeless idiot. Sasuke had volunteered to do all the financial stuff remotely on his laptop in London, but Naruto had laughed at him and brushed him off.

…Sasuke couldn’t find a single mistake. He sat staring at the forms and the spreadsheets, bewildered, and then he glanced at Naruto suspiciously.

The blonde grinned at him. “I know,” he said. “I’m amazing, right? I did everything, just like _you’d_ do it!”

“Who _really_ did all this?” Sasuke demanded. “Did you hire someone? Because we can’t afford that-”

“So little faith!” Naruto interrupted. “ _I_ did it, honestly! All by myself. Now, it might have taken me four times as long as it takes _you_ , but I swear, it was all me!”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “…incredible,” he muttered. “Unbelievable, really.”

“I keep telling you, I could turn out to be a secret genius, you never know! This stuff is _delicious_ , by the way,” said Naruto, pointing to the bowl of noodles he was currently wolfing down- his second serving today. “This was the perfect souvenir from London, thank you Sasuke!”

Sasuke nodded. “I know you pretty well by now, you know,” he said. “Of course I got you the perfect gift.”

“We should go to Japan some time,” Naruto suggested. “And eat real ramen. Every day.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He stood up from the table to put away all the files he’d been going through. “Couldn’t we eat other stuff as well?” he asked.

“No,” Naruto said back, slurping some more noodles. “Ramen only.”

Sasuke sighed and closed the filing cabinet. Despite how chaotic things had been when he’d first gotten back, he was now satisfied that everything really _had_ gone smoothly while he was away- more or less.

“And now I have four months to think of the perfect gift for you, for your birthday,” Naruto said, picking up his bowl and drinking up all the leftover broth.

 _Four months, hey?_ And then it would have been a year since- that unfortunate incident. Well. He would just have to be careful not to let that happen again this year. The next time he tried to make something happen with Naruto, he’d have to make it harder for the blonde to say _no_.

***

Sasuke was now in his second year of university, and once again his days were full of studying, friends, and children- and Naruto, of course. Life was busy, but he was happy. He tried to tell himself he was _content_ , as well, but that was clearly a lie.

Naruto did end up getting him the perfect birthday present- well, as perfect as someone like _him_ would ever manage. It was a whole set of mugs for Sasuke to drink his tea out of at work, each with a cute little kitten drawn on it.

Sasuke suspected he’d been getting cat-themed presents from this guy until the day he died.

***

The months turned cold. Family Day, the highlight of the social calendar at the centre, finally arrived- and it was _freezing_ , and pouring down rain. Of course, it was a full house anyway. The children spent the morning decorating the centre and putting the final touches on their presents for their parents, and then it was lunch time and naps for the children, and final preparations for the staff.

Then the parents arrived, and the next few hours were filled with snacks, games, presentations, and family photos. Sasuke was in charge of the camera, a Polaroid that printed the pictures immediately for Sasuke to pin to the wall.

It was past seven o’clock by the time the last of the families finally departed for the night, and then the staff got stuck into cleaning up and putting everything back into place ready for tomorrow.

“I’m just saying, if we did these things on a _Friday_ , this wouldn’t be so stressful!” Sasuke whined to Naruto, to a chorus of agreement from the other staff. “We could just go _home_ , and do this all tomorrow!”

“He’s right, boss!” said Ayame, “every year we tell you this!”

“Mutiny!” exclaimed Naruto, scowling and poking his tongue out at them all. “Sasuke, don’t encourage them!”

Sasuke poked his own tongue out in retaliation, and went back to dumping napkins and coloured paper into rubbish bags. Yes, Naruto had his reasons- he claimed the kids were too tired and grumpy on Fridays, and well, he _may_ have had a point. They probably _did_ get more tantrums on Fridays than any other day. And yes, Tuesday was the only day when all the students were actually at the centre.

…none of that would stop either Sasuke or the others from complaining, however.

Eventually, all the other staff went home and it was just Sasuke and Naruto left, Sasuke growling and dragging his feet, Naruto sculling cups of coffee. Sasuke made his way to the kitchen and took out his favourite kitten mug, and reached into the tea and coffee drawer.

And then he slammed his mug on the counter. “There’s no more tea!” he whined, yelling out to Naruto. “ _Why_?!”

Naruto came into the kitchen behind him, stretched up to reach into a high cupboard, and pulled out a single solitary teabag.

“I hid one for you,” Naruto told him with a grin. “For emergencies!”

Sasuke scowled and snatched it out of his hands. “Thank you,” he muttered, filling his mug with boiling water. Stupid Naruto, being so _thoughtful_.

“We’re almost done,” Naruto said. “Let’s just wash these last dishes and then get out of here. You didn’t have to stay, you know. You’re not getting paid for this!”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and chose not to respond that. Instead, he just dumped the last of the dirty dishes into the sink, and then leaned up against the counter and drank his tea, pouting. It was ten-thirty, and it had been a long, long day.

Naruto just grinned at him again, drained the last of his coffee, and added his cup to the bubbly hot water in the sink.

“And who said you could use one of my mugs,” Sasuke added. It was the one with the Russian Blue cat. His second favourite.

“I’m not letting you help out with next year’s Family Day, if you’re gonna be this grumpy,” Naruto teased.

Oh, as if! “No-one else could possibly arrange the family photos on the wall as artfully as I can,” Sasuke retorted.

Naruto laughed at that, then turned to wash the dishes.

“Don’t just stick your hands in like that!” Sasuke scolded, stalking over and grabbing onto his hands in the water. “There are sharp knives in there!”

“Oh, come on,” Naruto said back, “I’m not a child! I knew they were in there.”

“You didn’t,” Sasuke sulked, pulling his hands away and shaking off the bubbles. “But fine, get all cut up, see if I care.” He placed his now-empty mug into the water as well and took a step back.

He sighed, and closed his eyes, just to rest them for a while. And it was only the beginning of the week. Why a Tuesday, honestly?

The centre was so different when it was empty like this; no screaming children or toys that made noises. It was just his breathing and Naruto’s out-of-tune humming. Sasuke opened his eyes and stood there watching Naruto, feeling a lot better now.

Naruto finished washing up and wiped his hands on his shirt, slipping his apron off. Then he looked over at Sasuke and grinned.

“You’ve got bubbles on your cheek,” Naruto said with a smile, stepping towards him and reaching out. He laid his hand on the side of Sasuke’s face, and Sasuke froze.

 _What is he doing_ , Sasuke thought, his pulse suddenly tripling, and the heat pooling in his cheeks. He blinked rapidly, and tried to calm down. _He’s just wiping away some bubbles, you idiot. Do you have to freak out every time he touches you?_

“And now you’re blushing,” Naruto added, running the pad of his thumb up and down of Sasuke’s cheekbones.

Then he started to pull his hand away, and Sasuke felt himself following after him as if he were a magnet. This was it, this was the moment. They locked eyes as Sasuke closed the distance between them, his heart pounding in his chest, his legs going weak and trembling.

“Naruto…” Sasuke breathed, seeing the blonde’s eyes widen and then glass over, and Sasuke reached his own hand back out and trailed his finger down Naruto’s cheek. And when he stepped closer, Naruto didn’t push him away, instead leaning into Sasuke’s touch.

Sasuke closed his eyes and felt Naruto nuzzling into his cheek, and he stopped breathing. _This can’t be happening,_ he thought, relishing the feeling, his skin tingling, his heart about to burst out of his chest.

…and then they were _kissing_ , Naruto’s mouth ghosting over his own, the blonde nudging his nose, and nipping at his bottom lip so softly. Sasuke felt everything in his mind go blank, he didn’t know where they were or what day it was, just that they were finally _together_ , they were touching, Naruto was _kissing_ him, _I can’t believe this, what do I do, oh…_

 …but then Naruto was pulling way and stepping back, with absolute dismay in his wide blue eyes, and all the colour draining from his face.

“Sasuke, I’m so sorry,” he said, and Sasuke felt something inside him _snap_.

“No,” he said back, his hands curling up into fists, and a white-hot anger ripping through him. “Don’t you _dare_! Why the hell are you _sorry_?!”

Naruto’s eyes widened and he looked horrified. “Sasuke, we _can’t_ , I-”

“ _Why_ can’t we?!” Sasuke demanded, raising his voice. “You _know_ I want to be with you! Who cares about some stupid age difference, I don’t want to wait any more-”

Naruto stepped towards him and he shut up. “Some stupid age difference?” Naruto repeated. “Sasuke, I’m almost _double_ your age! We _can’t_ , you have your whole life in front of you-”

“Naruto, stop!” Sasuke said with a scowl, “I’ve had _enough_ , I don’t care, I love-”

“ _Don’t_!” Naruto interrupted, turning even paler. “Sasuke, _no_ , I’m not good enough for you, I’m just, I’m _nothing_ , I…” his words mumbled off into silence, and Sasuke stared at him in shock.

Naruto wasn’t _good enough_ for him?! What on earth was he talking about? Naruto was the best person that Sasuke had ever known! The _brightest_ , a shining light, the only bright spot he’d had for so long, and there was _nothing_ Sasuke wouldn’t do to keep him.

And as Sasuke stared at him, speechless, Naruto stepped back further, slumping onto the wall and holding his face in his hands, his legs trembling, the light gone out of his eyes. “I’ve fucked everything up,” he moaned, looking miserable. “I’m so sorry, Sasuke. It’s- nothing can happen between us, I should have- I should have stopped you long before now, but I _needed_ you, I was so lonely, I just…”

“You’ve _got_ me,” Sasuke interrupted, feeling just as miserable. “I’m right here, Naruto!”

Naruto shook his head, despair written all over his face. “No, Sasuke,” he said, his voice hoarse and tight. “I’m not the one for you. I just- I thought if I could have you as a friend, it would be enough, but I-”

Sasuke paled, his heart falling through his chest and onto the floor, smashing into a thousand pieces. He was stunned. This couldn’t be happening. Naruto couldn’t do this to him. He felt the world turning dark in front of his eyes, clouding over and disappearing.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said, and he stumbled forward, moving on shaking legs out of the kitchen and towards the front door.

“Sasuke, don’t,” Naruto called after him, “you’re upset, just _stay_ -”

But Sasuke ignored him; he just picked up his bag and umbrella and walked out into the freezing cold night.

***

Some people were special. Some people had a part of the sun within them, and they shone, and drew others to them like bees to honey. There as no-one else for Sasuke, and he cursed the years between them and whatever voice in Naruto’s head that was telling him to _stop_ , to stop this _now_.

But see, look what Sasuke had done; he’d ruined everything. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t face him, not now. It was over.

He pulled himself forward through the rain, the wind blowing harsh and cold against his face and skin. In his mind he saw the pain in Naruto’s eyes when he spoke of his father all those months ago; the way he’d trembled and clung to the windowsill on Sasuke’s eighteenth birthday; the way his face had turned ash-white when he stepped away from Sasuke just now. Sasuke should have been to Naruto what Naruto had been to him. Instead, he’d hurt him- hurt him badly.

He should have stopped. He should have seen that it would all go wrong. Wasn’t it enough, that he had Naruto in his life at all?

The rain was falling harder now, soaking into Sasuke’s jeans and shoes, and he shivered in the night, and stopped walking.

 _I should have been there for him,_ Sasuke told himself. _I was so selfish. I want to be there for him._

He turned, and started walking again, faster and faster, his umbrella slipping out of his hands and falling to the ground, the rain hitting his face and plastering his hair to his skin. He was running, breathing hard, his mind blank and dark.

Then he was back, and there was Naruto standing alone, staring up into the sky, leaning up against the fence with rain dripping down his face.

“Naruto,” Sasuke called out, his voice breaking, echoing in the night. “I’m so _sorry_ , Naruto!”

And Naruto turned and stared out at him, frowning, looking confused. “Sasuke?” he said, water dripping from his hair and running down his face onto his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Sasuke said again, “but I’m not leaving this time.” And he moved right up to Naruto and threw his arms around his shoulders, reaching up to pull his mouth to his own. And before he could pull away, Sasuke kissed him hard, tangling his hands through his hair and tugging down, breathing him in.

Naruto gasped against him, stumbling forward and reaching out, kissing him back, kissing him _harder_ , and gripping his hips tight. He made a low, desperate keening noise and Sasuke felt a rush of heat run right through him. Sasuke whimpered and held on tighter, tasting Naruto, tasting the rain falling on them, as Naruto pulled Sasuke into his chest.

 “Naruto,” he panted, pulling back, “please, I just-”

“I know,” Naruto said back, “I know. Forgive me, Sasuke…”

Sasuke pushed back up against him, and closed his eyes, nudging his nose, nipping at his jawline back to his mouth, and he shivered in the cold rain and at the intensity of Naruto’s hands on him. It didn’t matter that it was freezing or that it was raining, it didn’t matter that they were standing on the street where anyone could see them, all that mattered is that _finally_ , he felt something change and things fall into place.

 _Please_ , he said to himself, to some higher power, _please let this be real. Just let me have him, and I’ll be happy for the rest of my life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I hope you guys like it!! We have one more chapter and an epilogue left...oh and my standard fic protocol applies- no guarantees of a happy ending!! Let me know what y'll thought of this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Here we are finally, the last chapter- after this, it’s just the epilogue to go! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who’s read and reviewed so far, you guys really make my day (and week, and month)!!
> 
> !!Slight NSFW Warning!!

For the past two years, Sasuke had spent a part of pretty much every day at the centre, surrounded by kids; screaming kids, laughing kids, whining kids, messy kids- kids everywhere. But now, it had been more than two months since he’d even set foot through the door. This semester he was doing an internship with a local financial consultancy company, and so he was spending a lot more time around actual _adults_ , rather than children.

It was certainly a change for the better. These days his conversations were much more likely to be about what was happening in the news, or what he was studying at school, rather than why the sky was blue and what would be on today’s sandwiches. And he really _did_ need something to round-out his resume before he graduated.

It took him a week or so to get used to this place- and to wearing a _suit_ , and actual proper shoes- but it was pretty nice here. Even though they gave him a lot of work to do, the atmosphere was just so calm and relaxing compared to the centre that he didn’t mind. Yes, he was having a great time away from the centre.

“Sa-su-ke-kunnn,” called a voice, and he turned to see one of his co-workers peeking her head around the corner. “There’s a man waiting at reception for you! He says he’s your _boyfriend_!”

Sasuke turned away from his desk and looked at the clock- wait, was that the time?! He stood up and pushed his work to the side. “Damn! I have to go!” He started shoving things into his bag, looking around to find his phone.

“Sasuke has a _boyfriend_?” said another girl, coming into the room. “What’s he like?!”

“He’s _hot_ ,” the first girl whispered furiously. “You have to come and look!”

Well, Sasuke didn’t know what to think of _that_ \- but it was his own fault, he was meant to be out of here at 5:30 on the dot, and he’d just lost track of time. He grabbed his bag and hurried after the two girls heading for reception, where he also discovered his boss, spying on the front desk from the hallway.

“Well done, Sasuke,” she said to him, as he tried to sneak past the crowd of girls. “But he’s got to be at least ten years older than you! He’s not one of your teachers, is he?”

Sasuke forced down his blush and laughed off that comment. “Of course not!” he replied. “Is it okay if I head home now?”

“Don’t keep him waiting any longer, Sasuke!” the girls cried, pushing him forward.

“See you tomorrow,” he said to them, slinging his bag over his shoulder and hurrying to the front desk, over to Naruto.

“Ah, Sasuke!” Naruto said when he saw him; he turned away from the red-cheeked receptionist and smiled at him. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you!”

“It’s fine,” Sasuke said back, “I’m so sorry, I had no idea what the time was!”

“Are you ready to go?” Naruto asked. “It’s okay if you need to stay longer. Aiko and I were having a nice chat. She was trying to explain what on earth financial consultancy is.”

Aiko the receptionist smiled prettily at that, and fluttered her long eyelashes at him. Sasuke bit back a scowl and grabbed Naruto’s hand, pulling him away towards the front door.

“No, I’m all done for today!” he said, sneaking a quick look behind him and seeing all the female staff watching them. This time he really _did_ blush, and turned around and started walking faster. “Where are we off to tonight?” he asked- it was Naruto’s turn to plan their date.

Naruto brightened, lacing his fingers through Sasuke’s, and leaning over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Somewhere really special!”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he accepted his kiss. “It’s not ramen again, is it? No more than once a week, you promised!” Naruto had a long-established set of ramen joints where he was practically a permanent feature; all the owners knew him.

Naruto laughed at that. “Well, that was my _first_ plan. I wanted to show you off in this suit of yours- which, by the way, you should totally wear when you come back to the centre-”

“Where are we eating, Naruto?” Sasuke interrupted him, before he could get too off topic. It’s not that he didn’t enjoy the way Naruto’s eyes ran over his suit jacket and pants, lingering on his open collared shirt. But there was a time and place, honestly!

 “Right, well, Karin invited us over for dinner!” Naruto said with a grin. “She’s a pretty decent cook!”

“We’re eating with your family?” Sasuke asked, his stomach clenching up suddenly. He’d met Karin only once before- more than a year ago! He certainly hadn’t met her officially, not since he and Naruto had been dating.

“It was kind-of last minute!” Naruto said. “I know it might be a big deal, but she’s been asking and asking, so I figured-”

“Better to get it over and done with,” Sasuke said, finishing his sentence. Yes, that was true. Naruto had met Itachi, after all- though he still hadn’t met Kisame ( _that_ would be interesting). Naruto had insisted on meeting his brother officially in the first _month_ that they’d been together, even though he was so nervous- and he didn’t believe Sasuke at all when he said that Itachi was fine with it (…more or less fine with it).

Naruto nodded. “But I told her, I had to check with you first, so if you don’t want to-”

“No, let’s go,” Sasuke interrupted. “It’ll be great.” Karin had seemed alright, that one time. She and her father were the only family Naruto had, so he’d do his best to make a good impression. Thank god for the suit, and the way it made him look older than he actually was.

He smiled at Naruto, and gripped his hand tighter as they walked to Naruto’s car.

***

“So _this_ guy,” Karin went on, waving her glass of wine around wildly, “this tall, ungainly 15 year old, comes home and announces he’s got a job working with _babies_ -”

“I was almost _16_ ,” Naruto protested, looking offended, “and it wasn’t _just_ babies-”

Karin scoffed. “Right, snotty-nosed toddlers as well, the perfect job for a teenage boy who looked like a gang member!”

 _A gang member…?_ Sasuke thought, staring over at Naruto and trying to imagine him looking at all intimidating. Well, he _was_ fairly tall, and broad, and those arm muscles of his, and his chest…Sasuke’s eyes glazed over and he completely forgot what he was thinking about.

“I mean, what on earth possessed you to ask for a job _there_?” Karin went on, and Sasuke snapped out of it. Right!

“He was so good at it, though,” Sasuke interjected. “Kids love him!” Naruto was a complete natural at _that_ part of his job.

“I was pretty lousy at first,” Naruto admitted, “especially the first year- I was doing pretty much what you did when you started out. And I didn’t know _anything_ about kids. The second year was better.”

“I was shocked you lasted that long. Here, Sasuke, have some more beef,” Karin said, pushing the huge tray of food in his direction. Sasuke was trying to eat as much as he could; he had to make sure Karin liked him, after all! And it _was_ pretty good.

“How did you even get the job?” Sasuke asked, “if you didn’t know anything about kids?”

Naruto grinned. “The owner took pity on me, I’m pretty sure. I asked for a job _everywhere._ She was tough, but nice. I’ll take you to meet her one day.”

“So, you were even younger than _me_ when you started working there?” Sasuke asked. The Naruto-sensei in his mind wasn’t a tall, gangly teenager; he was a proper adult. It’s funny the way memory worked. That Naruto had been perfect- there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“Right!” Naruto replied. “I worked part time the first year, then full time when I was seventeen. That was when you first started, too, Sasuke,” he added.

“That was a tough time. You got lucky, kid,” Karin declared, flicking Naruto’s forehead, and piling some more vegetable onto his plate.

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Naruto said to that, looking sheepish. “It all worked out pretty well, in the end.”

They finished dinner, Sasuke having a second and third serving to please Karin, and then Naruto was marched off to the kitchen to clean up.

“Hey, Naruto!” Karin called after him as he left. “Can I show him the pictures?”

“Sure,” Naruto called back, “go nuts!”

“The pictures?” Sasuke asked, feeling a little anxious now that it was just the two of them alone. He tried to relax. Everything had been going pretty well so far. He thought that Karin probably liked him well enough; she didn’t seem bothered by their age difference, at least- or she hadn’t said anything about it.

And Naruto had been more relaxed here in front of her than he’d been anywhere else. They hadn’t announced the change in their relationship to people at the centre, but Naruto had been so tense when they were together, so it had been a relief when Sasuke decided to take the internship and give them some space. Oh, and when Naruto had met Itachi…he would never had made a comment like that, about the time when Sasuke was a kid.

Karin led him into the living room, grinning at him. Her smile was almost the same as Naruto’s. They didn’t really look that much alike- apparently, Karin looked just like Naruto’s mother, though.

“These are all the photos that his dad took,” Karin said, pulling a large box out of the cupboard, and spreading the contents over the coffee table. “He always had a camera in his hand.”

 _Oh_ , Sasuke thought, peering over at the photos. She certainly hadn’t been lying- there were _hundreds_. But Sasuke remembered Naruto telling him about it one time- about how his father just loved to take pictures.

“Is it really okay to look at these?” he asked, picking up a random pair. They didn’t seem to be in any order. In the first Naruto was a tiny newborn, being held by a little red-headed girl. In the second he must have been almost three, and was grinning at the camera, holding out a bright orange ball.

“It’s fine,” Karin said to him. “He likes looking at them. It’s a pity there aren’t any with his mother. That’s her there, with my dad, when they were kids.” She pointed to a photo on the wall, and Sasuke was surprised- Karin really _did_ look just like Naruto’s mother.

… _he’s so cute_ , Sasuke thought, _and he looks so happy_.

 “Hey um, Karin,” Sasuke asked, hesitant. “Something you mentioned during dinner…why was it so tough, that time? When Naruto started working at the centre?” Sasuke’s Naruto-sensei had been a bright, sunshine-y person, always happy and energetic.

“Oh, he’s never told you about that?” Karin asked, staring over at him. “It was pretty awful for both of us. That’s when my dad died.”

… ** _what_** _?_ Sasuke thought, stunned. He’d had no idea! Naruto’s uncle had died as _well_?! Just how much bad luck had Naruto _had_ , in his life?

“You didn’t know,” Karin said, glancing at his face. “And I just blurted it out. Sorry, Sasuke!”

Sasuke felt like an idiot- he just assumed that Naruto’s uncle was working, or maybe he just didn’t live here. It never occurred to him that he might not be _alive_!

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Sasuke said, dismayed.

“It’s fine,” Karin said, waving him off. “You’ve been through it too, I’m sure you get it. Anyway, he took it pretty hard. He started getting into trouble, and then he dropped out of school. So I guess it was a pretty intense time.”

Getting into trouble? That didn’t sound like the Naruto _he_ knew. _His_ Naruto was more like the little kid in these photos; nothing could get him down. But then, the little boy in the photos had lost both his parents before he was four. To then lose the man who’d raised him…just how on earth had Naruto become the person he was? A person so bright, that even someone like Sasuke could feel it?         

***

“Naruto?” Sasuke asked, as they got out of the car and headed for Sasuke’s front door. “Why don’t you ever talk about those times? When you were sixteen?”

Naruto quickly glanced at him and then turned away. “Mm,” he said. “I don’t even like to think about it, really. I guess it was a while ago now… almost fifteen years. Wow- time goes so fast, doesn’t it?”

Sasuke nodded. It sure did. “I understand why you didn’t tell me,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t bother you that Karin let it slip. I really had no idea.”

“I don’t mind, not really,” Naruto said, giving him a smile; but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. They got to the front door and Sasuke reached out for him, pulling him close and cuddling into him.

“I learned way too much about you tonight,” Sasuke said with a little laugh, hoping to distract him. “Though I’m not sure I believe it all! You’re _amazing_ with kids.”  

Naruto took Sasuke’s hands, rubbing the pad of his thumbs into his palms. “I dropped you one time, you know, when I was helping you off the playground. But you didn’t even cry! You always put up with me.”

Well, of _course_ Sasuke wouldn’t have cried. He would never have wanted to behave like a _baby_ , in front of Naruto-sensei.

“Hmm,” Sasuke said to that. “I don’t remember that at all.”

Naruto bit his lip and gripped Sasuke’s hands tighter. “It’s….weird, I know,” he said, nudging into the side of Sasuke’s face and nuzzling his nose. “Things would be so much- easier, between the two of us, if I didn’t have these memories.”

“It’s not _that_ weird,” Sasuke argued. “Do you need to hear the list again?” Sasuke had a very long list of things he’d found that were weirder than the two of them dating. He found more and more things to add to it every day. Naruto just needed to relax about it all.

Naruto laughed at that, and this time his smile was genuine. Sasuke smiled back, and leaned in to kiss him, breathing deep at the same time. Naruto always smelled amazing; and now, he could get as close as he wanted. He could _kiss_ him as much as he wanted.

“Are you coming inside?” Sasuke asked, pulling away for a moment.

Naruto moved his hands to Sasuke’s waist, circling his arms around his back. “May I?” he said, placing little kisses up the side of his neck to his ear.

Sasuke stopped breathing for a moment, but soon snapped back to attention. _Don’t get distracted,_ he told himself. “For a while. I’ve got early classes tomorrow.”

“Mm,” Naruto murmured, running his tongue up the outside of Sasuke’s ear in a wonderfully delicious way. Sasuke could feel it right down to his toes. “And the ground rules?” Naruto went on.

“Kissing,” Sasuke replied, promptly; that was all they’d be doing tonight. Any more and Sasuke would just melt into the ground and disappear.

“Shirts?” Naruto asked, the heat of his breath ticking Sasuke’s ear and sending shivers all down his spine.

“Stay _on_ ,” Sasuke said back, firmly. He unlocked the door and took Naruto’s hand, pulling him inside towards the couch. His boyfriend was gorgeous, and _almost_ irresistible, but Sasuke had promised his brother that he would be careful, and truthfully, a little more time to get used to this all definitely wouldn’t hurt.

Sasuke’s feelings for Naruto were so strong that they threatened to overwhelm him at times. He might be constantly reassuring Naruto that there was nothing _weird_ about their relationship, but it sure was _intense_ , like a raging fire; Sasuke had to be careful not to get burnt.

***

Seeing the photos the other night at Karin’s house had given Sasuke the perfect idea for Naruto’s birthday present. It had to be good. They’d been dating for three months now- plus, Sasuke had never actually given him a decent present before, not ever.

Naruto always knew when people’s birthdays were coming up- he even had a list of all the kids’ birthdays, so he could make them feel special. When Sasuke’s birthdays came around, Naruto was always prepared with a proper present. But Naruto’s birthday always seemed to sneak up on Sasuke; he’d forget all about it until the actual day, and then he’d have to scramble around, trying to find something to give him.

The truth was, when Sasuke looked back on the past two years, he felt pretty ashamed of himself. He’d been so…selfish, and self-centred. Naruto had always been there for him, taking care of him, giving him whatever he needed. What did Sasuke ever do for him in return?

Even that night three months ago, standing there in the rain outside the centre... Sasuke had just stood there, clinging to him, not wanting to move at all in case something changed, in case Naruto changed his mind. So Naruto practically had to _force_ him into the centre out of the rain, ordering him to dry off and change into a spare set of clothes.

And then- Sasuke had completely freaked out when it occurred to him, out of the blue, that Naruto had a boyfriend. He had a _boyfriend_ , and Sasuke had kissed him anyway! He’d been panicking, almost hysterical, until Naruto had told him that actually, he and Neji had broken up more than a month ago. A _month_ ago, and Sasuke hadn’t had any idea! He was more than selfish; he was awful.

He had to make up for all that. And so now he sat fidgeting, in Naruto’s favourite restaurant, with Naruto’s present lying in front of him. Karin had helped him, so it would probably be fine…but what if Naruto thought that Sasuke had crossed a line with this?

“I’ve never gotten a _wrapped_ present from you before, Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed, taking the box from him eagerly, and holding it up to his ears, shaking it. “What is it? Can I have a clue? I’ll guess!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He was such a _child_. “Just open it, idiot,” he said, still fidgeting. He couldn’t stand this waiting, he needed to know if his gift was okay!

Naruto laughed. “Oh, fine, if you say so!” He started to unwrap it, peeling the ribbons and tape away carefully. Sasuke appreciated the thought- he _had_ put a lot of effort into the wrapping, after all- but he was still feeling horribly impatient.

Sasuke shifted on his seat, getting more and more tense as the seconds ticked by. _Finally_ , Naruto got the wrapping paper off and opened the box, revealing a set of leather photo albums.

“What’s this?” Naruto asked, eyes brightening as he ran a finger over the soft surface of the slim albums. “Can I look inside? Are there pictures?”

“ _Obviously_ ,” Sasuke snapped, his patience completely gone by now. _Hurry up, Naruto!_ he thought. “Go on, look inside!”

Naruto grinned and did as he was instructed. He opened the first album and there he was, as a little newborn, cradled in his father’s arms.

“Ohh,” Naruto murmured. “It’s my photos…”

Sasuke and Karin had spent hours- _hours_ \- putting all those hundreds of photos into chronological order and then slotting them into the albums. Sasuke had spent so long staring at Naruto’s face, he felt like _he_ was the one who’d known Naruto as a child, not the other way around.

“And look,” Sasuke said, reaching into the box and pulling out a thumb drive. “We digitised them all too, so that they’re safe. You don’t have to worry about ever losing them.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto explained, placing the album on the table and staring at him, eyes wide. “This is amazing! I can’t believe you did all this…”

“Karin helped,” he said, squirming. “Do you- do you really like it? I didn’t know if-”

“I love it!” Naruto interrupted, standing up and leaning over the table to give him a kiss, right on the mouth. Sasuke squeaked. They were in public- they were always so careful! People were _looking_! “Thank you, Sasuke!”

Sasuke blushed bright red and pushed him back across the table. He was so embarrassing! But thank god, it seemed that he liked the gift. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “So you really like it?” he asked, sheepish. “I wasn’t sure…”

“It’s perfect,” Naruto gushed. “I never even thought of doing this. You’re amazing, Sasuke.”

Sasuke’s blush deepened. Oh, come on, a few photo albums wasn’t that special. But if Naruto really liked it…good, that was a good first step.

He smiled. “I’m glad,” he said to Naruto. “Now, let’s order dinner already! I can’t believe we’re having ramen _again_ …”

***

If Sasuke was being completely honest, there was a small part of him- just a _small_ part- that missed being at the centre. It was probably just because he knew the kids, and he wanted to know how they were, like if Akane had gotten any new teeth or if Midori had mastered counting to one hundred yet. Naruto had been teaching the four-year-olds about telling time when he’d left; how was that going?

Yes, that was all. And, well, Naruto and the other staff were his friends, after all, so of course he missed seeing them every day. And naturally, it was a completely different environment here, there wasn’t as much noise or laughter, or colour; birthdays weren’t massive events, and no-one smiled nearly as much here. That was to be expected, and it was fine, really. Sasuke probably just wasn’t used to it yet.

 _I’m bored,_ he texted Naruto. _What are you guys up to?_ Sasuke fidgeted and turned back to proof-reading the report he’d helped write for the boss. He was happy they’d had enough trust in him to help with this kind of stuff, but it’s not like it was terribly exciting. Actually, the company had offered him a job, one he could do part-time while he was studying. The internship had gone pretty well.

His phone vibrated and he snatched it up. _Kaito scratched his knee,_ Naruto’s text read. _So now we’re playing doctors and patients._ His text was accompanied by a photo of himself and half a dozen chibis dressed up in pretend hospital scrubs, sporting serious looks.

Sasuke sighed. Playing dress-ups certainly wasn’t Sasuke’s favourite thing to do- he’d probably never do it at all if the kids didn’t insist- but it wasn’t _awful_. It was more fun than proof-reading this report, anyway.

He sighed. He and Naruto didn’t have a date planned for tonight, so he’d be taking the bus home to his apartment after work. He’d do some homework, maybe, and some chores, and then go to bed. Boring.

And then before he knew what he was doing, he was standing in his boss’s office claiming to be sick, and then he was shoving his things in his bag and heading out the door. He was getting out of here- and there was just enough time left to take a bus to the centre and see everyone before they all went home!

***

“Sasuke-sensei!!” shrieked all the kids when he walked through the gate thirty minutes later. In an instant he had an entire hoard of tiny human beings surrounding him.

Sasuke grinned and knelt down to greet them properly. “Hi guys,” he said, “did you miss me?”

There was a universal cry of _yes_ and a lot of tugging on his clothes, as well as invitations and demands to come and see paintings, to read one of the new books, or play with the new toys. Sasuke laughed and stood, and gradually moved forward through the sea of children towards the front door.

Naruto was standing there leaning on a post with Akane in his arms, smiling at them. He didn’t look at all surprised to see him here. “Hi,” he said to Sasuke. “Ditching work, are you?”

“I happen to be sick,” Sasuke said back to him, covering his mouth and coughing delicately. He held out his arms to Akane, who was practically falling out of Naruto’s grasp trying to get to him.

Naruto laughed at him and handed the baby over. “Look, Akane-chan, it’s Sasuke-sensei! _Sa-su-ke_ ,” he repeated, carefully and deliberately.

“ _Sa_ ,” said Akane, with a little giggle, and Sasuke melted.

“So have you accepted the job yet?” Naruto asked him, giving him a knowing look.

“I’m still thinking about it, okay?!” Sasuke said back, poking his tongue out; and then the hoard of children was all around him, and he let himself be led inside.

He spent the rest of the day playing and drawing and reading, and he didn’t think about financial consultancy-whatever _once_.

***

Sasuke hovered on the boundary between sleep and wakefulness, feeling drowsy and completely content to just lie here; there was no need for him to wake up just yet. He let his mind slowly come back to consciousness, snuggling further into the soft warmth that surrounded him. Gradually he opened his eyes, just a bit, and peered around him.

His memory came back to him. He’d been reading a textbook for class the next day, nestled against Naruto’s chest while the blonde watched a movie. Naruto’s studio apartment was tiny, so they were curled up on his bed, the afternoon sun pouring in through the window and putting Sasuke to sleep.

How long had he slept for? He shifted a bit, stretching out, and looked up. He was curled against Naruto’s side, half-lying on him, and Naruto was trailing a hand up and down his back, and flicking through Sasuke’s textbook absent-mindedly.

Sasuke stretched again, arching up into the hand rubbing down his spine, and Naruto looked down at him. “Hi there, sleepy-head,” he said with a grin, his voice full of teasing. “Needed some beauty sleep, did you?”

“How long was I asleep for?” Sasuke asked, his voice croaky and dry. “I was trying so hard to finish that chapter…”

“Well, it’s not very interesting,” Naruto said, wrinkling his nose and putting the book down. “I can see why it put you to sleep.”

“I think I’ll sleep some more,” Sasuke said with a yawn, re-settling on Naruto’s chest. “I’m pretty comfortable right here.” And it was true; he was feeling perfectly peaceful and content.

“Ah,” Naruto said, squirming under him. “Well. You’ll have to release me for just a moment. I need to use the bathroom.”

Sasuke pouted. “Fine. If you must.” He shuffled over so that Naruto could get up off the bed.

Once he was gone Sasuke sighed, and rolled over onto his back. The sunlight had faded a bit, but was still filtering down through the window. This was only his second time in Naruto’s apartment, even though they’d been dating for almost five months now. It was a lot cleaner, and sparser, than Sasuke expected. Apparently, Naruto still kept most of his stuff at Karin’s house. But Sasuke could see the photo albums he’d given him, proudly displayed on a shelf near the bed.

He stretched out on the bed and felt a bit more awake now, and he wondered how he’d actually managed to fall asleep curled up against Naruto like that. Waking up to find them that close together had felt very…intimate.

 _What are you so embarrassed for_? he asked himself. _It didn’t feel weird. Naruto seemed fine with it._

Well, if things had been a bit tense between them lately, when they were kissing and fooling around, that was only to be expected; kissing was as far as they had gotten, since Naruto left the pace of their relationship entirely up to Sasuke.

“That’s better,” Naruto said, coming out of the bathroom and wiping his hands. “Now. Do you want some dinner? I’ll go and pick something up. Whatever you like. Pizza, maybe?”

“I’m not hungry,” Sasuke said, and his stomach clenched at the very sight of Naruto and the sound of his voice. “…come back here.” Maybe their pace should speed up just a little.

Naruto grinned, and did as he was instructed. “If you say so,” he said, joining Sasuke on the bed and snuggling back into him, and kissing the tip of his nose. “Where you dreaming, by the way? You were squirming.”

“I was?” Sasuke asked, feeling flustered at that. “I don’t know, there were these birds, following me.”

“Oh!” Naruto said. “You must have been able to hear the movie. It was kind-of freaky. I think the birds were demons, or something.”

“…that’s embarrassing,” Sasuke said.

“Mmm,” Naruto murmured. “But you’re so cute when you sleep.”

“I told you to stop calling me _cute_ ,” Sasuke whined, giving him a look. “Little Sasuke-chan was _cute_.” And Sasuke would rather not be thought of as cute, not by Naruto.

Naruto chuckled at that. “Yes, he was. But you’re cute too.” He snuggled closer to Sasuke, trailing a finger down the side of his face, tracing along the outside of his ear, then down his cheekbone to his mouth. “Look at you pouting. It’s _adorable_.”

His finger reached Sasuke’s lips and Sasuke bit at it, grapping onto it with his teeth and biting down. _Take **that**_ , he thought. _We’ll see who’s cute now!_

Naruto squeaked at the sudden and unexpected action. “Hey!” he cried, still laughing, trying to pull his finger free. Sasuke just bit down harder. “What’d I do to deserve _that_?”

Sasuke scowled. He’d show Naruto a thing or two. He swirled his tongue around the tip of Naruto’s finger and down the edge, all the while glaring daggers at him. Sasuke didn’t like being called _cute_!!

Naruto took a sharp breath and stopped laughing, gazing back at Sasuke intently as his eyes glazed over.

 _Yes, that’s better_ , Sasuke thought to himself, as he pulled Naruto closer to him and wrapped his legs around his waist. Only once he was properly folded around his boyfriend did he let his finger go.

Naruto didn’t move; he just laid his injured finger on Sasuke’s bottom lip, tracing over the surface very lightly. “Are you planning on biting my tongue off, too?” he asked, resting his forehead against Sasuke’s.

Sasuke smirked at him. “Not unless you deserve it,” he said, lacing his fingers through Naruto’s messy blonde hair and dragging his mouth to his own, feeling the heat of Naruto’s breath against his skin.  

Naruto moved his hand down Sasuke’s side to his waist, and replaced his finger with his tongue, running it softly over Sasuke’s lips, then sucking his lower lip into his mouth. Sasuke let out a soft moan when Naruto gently bit down with his teeth. … _payback?_

Kissing Naruto was like nothing else in the world. Everything else ceased to exist; it was just Naruto’s hands, Naruto’s mouth, the feel of his skin against his own. Kissing Kiba had been _nothing_ compared to this. How had Sasuke managed to wait this long to be with him? He should have grabbed onto him that first day.

Sasuke gasped as Naruto bit down on his lip again and then released him, kissing him softly, and running his hands up and down Sasuke’s sides. Sasuke felt himself moving against him without even realising it, heat flaring and pooling in his stomach. Naruto nipped up and down Sasuke’s jawline and then down the side of his neck, finding a pulse-point and then sucking hard, tasting and licking at Sasuke’s skin.

Sasuke’s breathing hitched in his throat and he groaned, rolling his hips against his boyfriend involuntarily. They should stop, they should take a break, before Sasuke got- _ah!_ Naruto bit down again, and Sasuke cried out and pressed his hips upward. … _too late_ , he thought to himself.

And then Naruto moved away and laughed, and Sasuke flushed bright red and scowled at him, feeling mortified; of _course_ Naruto could feel how hard Sasuke had gotten, all from just _kissing_. How _embarrassing_!

“Uh, Sasuke-” Naruto began.

“I can’t help it!” Sasuke whined, interrupting him at once. “Not when you’re doing _that_!”

“Hmm,” Naruto said, laying a finger on the tip of Sasuke’s nose and gazing at him. “Want me to do something about it?”

“ _No_!” Sasuke exclaimed. “Just ignore it and it’ll go away! Don’t tease me, it’s not _fair_ -”

“You’ve gone all red, Sasuke,” Naruto teased. “What’re you embarrassed about?”

 _Everything!_ Sasuke thought; it really _wasn’t_ fair, being with someone so gorgeous, so amazing, and with so much more experience than him. “I feel like I should have just as much self-control as _you_ ,” Sasuke pouted.

Naruto laughed again at that, louder. “Oh? Maybe I just hide it better?” Then Naruto shifted, facing him properly and bringing their hips into contact. He was just as hard as Sasuke.

“…oh,” Sasuke said, blushing brighter and feeling weak and jittery all of a sudden.

“Want to stop?” Naruto said, looking down at him and giving him a concerned look.

Sasuke shook his head. “No,” he said, letting out a shaky breath. No, he didn’t want to _stop_ ; he never wanted to stop.

“Ground rules?” Naruto asked. “Clothes stay on?”

Stay _on_ …? Sasuke was wearing jeans; they were feeling painfully tight right about now. So he reached down and quickly unzipped them, wriggling his hips to get the denim over his legs, and then he kicked them off the bed. Naruto would be fine; he was wearing much more sensible tracksuit pants.

“ _Now_ clothes stay on,” Sasuke said, blushing all the while as Naruto gazed down at his now much-barer legs, his eyes glassing over in a most appealing way. “…you may proceed,” Sasuke added.

Naruto grinned at that, and reached down to hook Sasuke’s left leg back around his waist. He ran his hand upwards over Sasuke’s bare skin from his ankle to his knee, to his thigh, then settling at the bottom of Sasuke’s boxer-briefs, playing with the edge of the fabric.

All the while Naruto was staring down at him with such open heat and desire in his eyes that it took Sasuke’s breath away, and he whimpered at the feel of Naruto’s hands on him.

At the sound, Naruto smiled and gave him a quick kiss, before moving back down to that oh-so-sensitive spot on Sasuke’s throat and sucking hard, biting with his teeth and then dabbing his tongue across his skin. Sasuke groaned at a particularly sharp bite, and arched his back upwards; Naruto took this as an opportunity to slide both his hands around Sasuke’s waist, gripping his hips tight and rolling his own in a most delicious way.

“…this could get messy,” Naruto murmured against Sasuke’s throat, and his voice was low and heady. It made that heat in Sasuke’s stomach flare again, and he ran his own hands hard down the middle of Naruto’s back across his spine and then back up to his face, so he could pull Naruto against him again.

 _Yes, just like that,_ he thought, gasping and copying the way Naruto had been rolling his hips before. “I don’t care,” he breathed, “just don’t stop!”

“…Sasuke…” Naruto groaned, biting down on his throat and grinding down, “…it might be pretty fast, too.”

 _Definitely_ , Sasuke thought, wrapping his legs tighter around Naruto’s waist. He bit back another whimper and felt himself becoming more and more light-headed and breathless, with Naruto sucking on his neck and bringing them together with a perfect friction. Sasuke grasped at Naruto’s hair, tugging him back up to his lips and sucking his tongue into his mouth, kissing him with that same rhythm.

Naruto moaned into Sasuke’s mouth, and Sasuke felt him get even harder as his movements became more erratic and frantic.

“Mm, _yes_ ,” Sasuke groaned, as Naruto’s hands on his hips moved him back and forth faster and faster, and he felt the heat and pleasure in his stomach start to climb up his spine and flood down his legs. “ _Yes_ , Naruto…” he panted, arching his back, digging his heels into the back of his thighs.

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke’s mouth, breathing hard in shallow, desperate gasps, and he pressed his face into the crook of Sasuke’s neck as he moved in harder, shorter thrusts against Sasuke’s hips.

Sasuke cried out as all his muscles clenched down at once and started to ache, desperate for release. He clung to Naruto, riding waves of pleasure until finally they peaked and he cried out again, rolling his hips back up and down as he came, feeling Naruto jolt and arch against him.

“Sa-Sasuke, _god_ ,” Naruto groaned, and then he pulled Sasuke tight against him and cried out as well, whimpering and gripping Sasuke’s hips tight. Then he bit down again on Sasuke’s skin and Sasuke gasped, pressing upward, marvelling at the feel of Naruto’s desire and need for him.

Then Naruto fell onto Sasuke’s chest, panting and groaning, and Sasuke felt his limbs go heavy and limp, and a wave of contentment and relief wash over him. He breathed in deep, and ran his hands through Naruto’s hair and over his face, looking down at him with wonder.

The sun was setting outside, casting low shadows into the room, and all was silent except for the sound of their panting breaths. Sasuke could feel Naruto’s chest heaving up and down, and the heat of his flushed skin against his own. But eventually Naruto opened his eyes and gazed back at him, as their breathing slowed and the world came back into focus.

… _that was amazing_ , Sasuke thought to himself. Yes, he could stand to do that again. Maybe he could loosen up the ground rules a little next time.

“…hi,” Naruto said to him, sheepishly. “…mm, that was _good_ …”

Sasuke blushed at the look Naruto was giving him, feeling completely embarrassed and exposed, hoping Naruto _really_ had enjoyed that as much as he had. “Hi,” he said back, desperately trying to control the heat in his cheeks.

“God, now _I_ need a nap,” Naruto murmured, snuggling into Sasuke’s chest and closing his eyes again. “Can we just sleep for a few days?”

“Naruto,” Sasuke said, suddenly. “…I’m ready.”

“For dinner?” Naruto said back, peeking up at him. “Give me a second, Sasuke…”

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes, and bit back a laugh. “Not for dinner, you moron!” he said. “For _sex_!”

Naruto froze and opened his eyes properly at that, staring back at Sasuke intently. “ _Really_?” he squeaked. “ _Now_?”

And then Sasuke really _did_ laugh, gazing at Naruto’s surprised and eager face, and he pushed the blonde off of him to roll over and stretch out. _Now_? As if!

 _Oh god, my boyfriend is a complete idiot!_ Sasuke thought to himself. _…and I love him, damn it. I’m so doomed._

***

A/N: hmm so just the epilogue to go. I wonder if that’s enough time for these two to mess everything up?


	6. Epilogue

Sasuke couldn’t believe it; in just two days he’d be graduating, and his student days would be _over_! He was so excited he could barely contain himself. After four years, he’d have no more assignments, no more exams, no more deadlines. He was _free_.

…right after he finished this huge pile of paperwork, that is.

“How’s it going?” Naruto asked from the doorway, wrinkling his nose. Naruto may have become ‘competent’ at payslips and tax invoices in the past few years, but he certainly hadn’t lost his distaste for it all. “Done yet?”

Sasuke sighed. Graduation was in two days, and then in three days he and Naruto were leaving for Japan, for an entire month. What had they been _thinking_?! The centre couldn’t cope without both of them here, not for _four weeks_. It was crazy!

“Is it too late to change our minds?” Sasuke asked. Even with all this work he was doing in advance, he still felt anxious about leaving the centre in someone else’s hands for so long.

“Don’t tempt me!” Naruto replied, coming into the room and glancing over his shoulder. “…just think about all the ramen.”

Sasuke scoffed. “That won’t work on _me_ , dead-last.” And Naruto had promised they’d have no more than one serving of ramen per day.

Naruto laughed. “Yeah, okay, well…this time next week, we’ll be on Cat Island!” he said, citing Sasuke’s #1 request for their holiday.

…well, okay. Maybe the centre _could_ cope while they were gone. And this would be the first time the two of them had ever gone away together for more than a weekend- they _deserved_ it, didn’t they? Yes, they did.

Sasuke pushed the paperwork away and stood up. “I need a break. Then I’m going to get this all done _tonight_.” He walked out into the hallway and then into the playroom, and found it deserted. He narrowed his eyes. “Naruto,” he said. “Where are all the kids?”

Naruto trailed after him and smirked. “They pretty much all went home, Sas. It’s six-thirty already. It’s just the after-hours kids left.”

Six-thirty _already_? Where had all his time gone?! “Then who am I supposed to play with?!” Sasuke whined. He needed a break, if he was going to get all his work done today!

Naruto grinned and gave him a look. “Well-”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “Shut up,” he said.

Naruto winked at him. “Hmm. Later, maybe.” Then the doorbell rang and Naruto wandered off towards the front door.

Sasuke glanced around the room, trying to spot one of the after-hours kids. Leaving the centre open until 7 pm each night had been a great way for them to make more money- since usually, either Sasuke or Naruto was here until then anyway. It had been a win-win; so at least Sasuke’s four years of studying business had been of _some_ use.

 _Ah, there’s one_ , Sasuke thought, as a multi-coloured blur came racing towards him, slamming into his legs and holding on tight. “Sasuke-sensei!!” the blur wailed, his little voice full of misery and suffering.

Sasuke bit back a smile. “Kaito?” Sasuke asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Akane won’t leave me alone!” Kaito cried. “She’s been following me around _all day_!”

“Kaito-chan,” Naruto called, coming back into the room. “Your mum’s here!”

“No!” Kaito yelled, gripping Sasuke’s legs tighter. “I’m staying here with Sasuke-sensei!”

“And with Akane?” Sasuke asked. “Because she’s still here as well, you know.”

“ _No_!” Kaito yelled again.

Sasuke gently pried the little boy off his legs and led him out to the hallway, smiling at the woman waiting there. “Here, look, it’s mum,” he said to the still-sobbing Kaito. “She’ll protect you from Akane.”

His mother laughed gently, leaning down to the little boy. “What did she do now, honey?”

“She keeps _kissing_ me!” Kaito declared, his face turning red. “It’s gross! I don’t _wanna_ kiss girls!”

Naruto came up behind them carrying Akane, and Kaito squealed and grabbed back onto Sasuke’s legs. “Akane’s very sorry, Kaito-chan,” Naruto said. “Isn’t that right?”

“No,” said Akane. “We _married_ , Naato-sensei!”

“We’re _not_!” shrieked Kaito from where he was hiding behind his protector. “I’m only gonna marry Sasuke-sensei, so there!”

Naruto made to laugh and Sasuke shot him a look. “Don’t worry, Kaito,” Sasuke said. “We’ll figure it all out, okay? We’ll see you tomorrow!”

Kaito didn’t look entirely convinced, but he nodded, and released his grip on Sasuke to take his mother’s hand. “Okay,” he said. “Bye, Sasuke-sensei, Naruto-sensei,” he added, blatantly ignoring Akane, who poked her tongue out at him and blew him a kiss. Sasuke had to try very hard not to laugh at that.

“Don’t,” Sasuke said to Naruto once they’d left; he could see that the blonde was struggling to hold back a laugh of his own. “Little boys are very sensitive, you know! Ah look, Akane-chan, there’s your daddy.”

Naruto grinned, putting Akane down and letting her run out the door to greet her father. “Yes, yes, I know,” Naruto said, stepping closer to Sasuke. “I guess I’m just jealous! I didn’t realise I had competition so close to home!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at that. “Maybe you should keep that in mind then, when you’re trying to force yet another ramen dinner on me, hey?”

Naruto widened his eyes. “You’re going to love it, Sasuke! I’ve put a lot of thought into our itinerary!!”

…unfortunately, that was very, very true. Far too much thought, one might say, but Naruto was determined to cover all the major ramen varieties, flavours, and specialities in this trip. Sasuke didn’t know why he put up with this guy!

“Bye, sensei!!” Akane called, waving to them both as she left with her father. They both waved back and smiled.

Once she was gone, Naruto leaned over and gave Sasuke a kiss on the cheek, and grinned. “I love you for putting up with me, Sas!” he said, before turning around and heading back into the centre to clean up for the night.

Sasuke blushed and rubbed his cheek. Damn that man. Sasuke would do anything for him, even spend hours and hours doing paperwork so they could take some crazy month-long trip together. How had things turned out this way?!

***

It was ten o’clock before they finally finished and headed home. ‘Home’ these days was Sasuke’s apartment, which Naruto had moved into about a year ago. They’d sold Naruto’s studio and used the money to invest in a childcare centre across town. They’d have enough money to make another investment too, soon. Sometimes Sasuke couldn’t believe how much trust Naruto had in him for all of this.

Sasuke’s apartment was great- it was only a ten-minute walk from work, after all. But they were going to sell it in the next few years, though, and get a house, so that Sasuke could adopt half a dozen cats and become a proper crazy cat lady.

(…that had been the _plan_ , at least; a few months ago Naruto had arrived home late one night, and dumped a tiny ginger kitten in Sasuke’s lap. Sasuke had been annoyed- they weren’t _allowed_ to have pets in this apartment!- but little Beatrice really _was_ the perfect start of his collection. He hoped she survived her month-long stay with Itachi and Kisame.)

Sasuke slipped his hand into Naruto’s as they locked the front gate and started walking. “And we still have to clean the apartment before we go,” he whined. “Why did we decide to leave right after graduation?”

“It was _your_ idea,” Naruto reminded him, gripping his hand tighter. “And don’t worry! It’ll be fine, you’ll see. You’re just nervous about graduation.”

He sighed. “Poor Beatrice,” he said, changing the subject; he really _was_ nervous about his graduation ceremony. “Maybe we should have asked Karin.”

“Poor _Beatrice_?” Naruto exclaimed. “Poor Kisame! She’ll eat _all_ his fish, you know!”

Sasuke made a face. His little princess was perfectly well behaved; she’d never do such a thing. “I can’t believe I got my first proposal,” he said, playing with the buttons on Naruto’s jacket. “It was so unexpected!”

“Hmph,” Naruto replied, frowning sulkily. He pulled Sasuke’s hand to his mouth and gave it a quick kiss. “Well, I won’t let him have you. I’d die without my sunshine!”

“Your _sunshine_?” Sasuke repeated, staring at him quizzically. “That’s a new one!” Naruto had tried out every pet-name under the sun for him; none of them had really stuck, but the idiotic blonde persisted none-the-less.

Naruto grinned. “Yes! It’s good, right? Because my world was so dark before you started working at the centre.”

Sasuke gave him a sceptical look; not only was that ridiculously cheesy, it also couldn’t _possibly_ be true. “I’m pretty sure _you’re_ the sunshine in this relationship, Naruto,” he said. “I don’t think I’d smiled for _months_ before I found you again. And also-”

“Sasuke,” Naruto interrupted, stopping in the street and tugging his hand. “I mean it, you know. I was so lonely, and I didn’t even know it.”

“…Naruto…” Sasuke stammered, stunned by his sudden change in attitude. Being around Naruto gave him whiplash, sometimes. 

“I love you, Sasuke,” Naruto went on, his expression completely serious, his eyes deep with emotion.

Sasuke made a little, involuntary squeak and turned his face away. Even after two and half years, Naruto was _still_ making him feel breathless and giddy, with his impromptu declarations of love.

…and then Naruto laughed and the moment was over. “And I’ll never get over your blushing!!” he went on, “you’re just too sweet, Sasuke!” Naruto wrapped his arms around him for a quick hug, lifting him off his feet for just a moment, before taking his hand again and continuing their walk home.

“Yeah, well,” Sasuke sulked, embarrassed. “I love you _more_ , so there.”

“Mm, I’m sure you do!” Naruto said, grinning at him. “Now, let’s get home and begin night fourteen of _Operation: keep Beatrice off the bed_!”

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. Yes, this guy really _was_ an idiot; loud, spontaneous, completely inappropriate at times, and with such a short attention span- not to mention his unnatural affection for ramen and the colour orange. But…at least Naruto was _his_ idiot.

He smiled, lacing his fingers through Naruto’s, and laughed. “We’ll see about that,” he said, as they headed home through the night.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh thank you to everyone for reading and supporting this fic, I've loved it!! And such a sugary ending, I'm so sorry, ahaha.... Let me know what you all thought~!


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